Project G Part 4 - GODZILLA IN THE LAND OF MONSTERS
by DHT
Summary: A surprising turn of events leads to an expedition to the remote Adona Islands, believed to be the birthplace of Godzilla and the other giant monsters. Doctor Honda accompanies the mission, secretly hoping to learn more her true origin and ever-increasing powers. However, she is not the only one on the mission with a hidden agenda...
1. The Perfect Storm

The _Daini-Gen'you-Maru_ was in trouble.

The Japanese cargo ship was caught in a storm of unbelievable strength. The vessel swayed from side to side, dipped from back to front, sloshing water high over the rails, forcing her crew inside lest they be swept away. Only the captain braved the slippery deck, staggering from the cabin to the bridge, his death grip on the slippery rail just barely keeping him upright.

The captain burst into the bridge; even after slamming the door behind him, the deafening cries of the storm forced him to raise his voice. "What's our position?"

"I don't know!" shouted their navigator. "The radar and the compass are both messing up!"

"What? How?"

"I don't know what's wrong, but look!"

The radar screen was pure static, while the compass tilted chaotically in every direction.

The navigator trembled anxiously. "We could be hundreds of kilometers off course for all we know!"

The captain seized the radio transmitter. "Mayday, mayday! This is the _Daini-Gen'you-Maru_! Does anybody copy? We're in a lot of trouble!"

Suddenly, the ship gave a violent jolt.

"Hey!" the captain shouted at the helmsman. "Keep it under control!"

"It's not me, cap! I'd need arms like Godzilla to turn the rudder a centimeter in these waters!"

The ship jolted again, this time throwing the captain and his crew to the cabin floor. Only the helmsman remained upright, clinging to the tiller, so he was the first to see their visitor, and reacted with a terrified cry: " _Kaiju!"_

The cabin window was smashed wide open a moment later by a colossal tentacle, which seized the helmsman mid-yell. He clung to his tiller for dear life, crying out in pain as the tentacle tightened. The captain drew his revolver and emptied it into the slimy appendage, while the navigator seized a nearby fire axe and chopped away with all of his might. The tentacle dropped its captive to the floor and shrank back out the window, leaving a trail of clear fluid that gave off vapors and a hissing sound but no odor. As the captain quickly reloaded his gun, the navigator hurried to the helmsman's side.

"How is he?" asked the captain urgently, pointing his out the window.

"He's alive! Weird; his arms looked burnt but he's cold all over."

The captain noticed a faint layer of frost on the side windows, as well as chunks of ice in the water on the floor.

A huge dark mass with glowing yellow eyes emerged at the front of the ship, and two more tentacles reached toward the crew on the bridge. The captain got off only two shots before being knocked to the floor. The navigator seized the tiller with one hand while holding onto his unconscious crewmate with the other as the nefarious feelers crept toward them. Lightning momentarily made the stormy sky as clear as day, allowing the navigator a brief glimpse of the fully-illuminated visage of a monstrous cephalopod. He shut his eyes and fearfully muttered a final prayer.

But the light did not fade. Instead, it grew brighter, to the point that the navigator could see it through his closed eyelids. Presently as he was not taken by the tentacles, he nervously opened one eye. The sea monster had disappeared, and overhead was a luminous being, emitting a powerful white glow that pierced the darkness of the storm. As preposterous as it seemed, the navigator thought he could hear a choir of angelic female voices, chanting sweetly, "Mothra, oh, Mothra!"

* * *

Kumi Honda awoke with a start and sat straight up in her bed. She was trembling; in fact, the whole room seemed to tremble for a few moments before becoming motionless again. Anxiously, she reached through the dark for the lamp on her nightstand but did not feel it there. She held her hand out toward the chest of drawers she knew to be on the opposite side of the room. A heavy object slid into her grasp – the flashlight she kept atop that chest. She turned it on and groaned as she surveyed her bedroom.

Everything was a mess! The chest of drawers had opened up and scattered her clothes around the room. Her writing desk had tipped over, dropping its contents to the floor: her notes, pencils, her alarm clock, and the telephone, from which she could just faintly here the dial tone droning on. Fortunately, her bookcase had stayed mostly intact, but a few books had fallen out and a framed picture of her parents lay face down on the floor. With an exasperated sigh, Honda concentrated on the picture; it lifted itself off the floor and replaced itself on the bookcase. Miraculously, the glass had not shattered. She repeated the process with other objects on the floor, lifting them with her mind and putting them back in place.

A few months prior, she fought a psychic battle with the alien computer M11. During the struggle, Honda discovered that she possessed telekinetic powers. In the time since, these new powers, as well as the telepathy she already knew she possessed, had intensified; she could now hear the thoughts of people around her, and sometimes her room shook when she dreamed.

And what peculiar dreams they were! Similar to an incident that transpired after her first encounter with M11, she had recurring dreams in the form of distorted, seemingly unconnected imagery. The four most common images were a craggy beach, a mushroom cloud, something bursting up from the ground, and a curious symbol: a gold square cross with curved white lines radiating out, encompassed in a golden circle, all emitting a soft glow. Though Honda could not determine the significance of the symbol, she had an idea as to what the beach and the cloud meant.

M11 had suggested that Honda might not be as human as she had always thought. Not knowing whether to believe the machine or not, she turned to a certain companion with whom she shared a psychic bond; he told her that she should go to the Adona Islands for answers. Perhaps the beach was from one of the islands, where several years before an atomic bomb had been detonated.

But even setting aside her doubt that anyone would believe her story, she could scarcely conceive that she could get approval for an expedition to the Adonas. Torn between this knowledge, her fear of her secret getting out, and her strong drive to discover the truth, on top of the strain from her powers escalating beyond her control, she became so exasperated that she had taken a leave of absence from Project G, citing fatigue and emotional distress.

She was now back in her little Tokyo apartment, seldom going out into public or interacting with anyone. When there were other people around, sometimes her mind wandered and she would begin to sense their thoughts; she could not filter their thoughts out once it began, and soon the stimulus would be overwhelming. It became so bad that she had a week ago made a late-night shopping trip and picked up as much non-perishable food as she could take home with her, creating a stockpile so she could stay indoors and alone for however long she needed. None of this actually made the process any easier, as being alone with her own worries and paranoia only permitted them to be more persistent and intrusive.

After about fifteen minutes, Honda had finished picking up around the room and laid back down in bed. Between the blinds of her window, she could just barely see that the night sky had taken on a subtle blue light; only an hour or so remained until dawn. She rolled to face the opposite wall and closed her eyes. The time did not make much difference. She had no plans for the day.

Sleep proved allusive for a while. Honda felt lonelier on this night than usual and decided to test her powers. There was an island thousands of kilometers away where an old friend who shared her telepathic gift lay sleeping, and she attempted to contact him. She concentrated hard, pushing through the bombardment of brain waves from seemingly everyone between them until she could sense him.

"Godzilla-san! Are you awake?"

 _Friend Honda! You've come back?_

"Not yet. My powers are growing. It hurts and it scares me."

 _I am sorry that you are hurting. In time you will control your powers._

"You said that before and I'm still not so sure, but thank you for the encouragement. Say, I wanted to ask you again about the islands. Can you tell me more about them?"

 _The Wise Ones live on the islands. They rule the creatures, the plants, and the land. The Wise Ones feel the Earth and can tell you all._

"And who are these 'Wise Ones'?"

 _They are the Wise Ones._

"But who are they?"

 _The Wise Ones. If you want to know more, you must talk to them yourself._

Honda sighed. Godzilla was exceptionally intelligent for a nonhuman animal, but his capacity for complex thought fell somewhat short nevertheless. She resigned herself to the idea that she had obtained all of the information from him that he could give her.

"Oh, well. Have you had any exciting adventures lately?"

 _No._

"Really? No monsters to fight?"

 _Just one, but it was not an exciting adventure._

"I see. Tell me more."

 _There was a giant walrus way up north attacking boats, so they sent me after him._

"Ah, right! I think I heard something about that. How did that fight go?"

 _He was weak. He got one good jab at me with his tusks, then I slammed my tail on him and broke his spine. He would have drowned and been in pain, so I broke his neck and ended it quickly._

"That was probably for the best."

 _How about you? Have you had exciting adventures?_

"Nope. Just more strange dreams and waking up to the room shaking." Honda yawned loudly. "Speaking of which, I think I'm finally ready for sleep. Thanks for the company."

 _Thank you, too, friend. I hope I see you again soon._

* * *

At about that same time, another of Honda's friends, Doctor Adam Yuma, was slouched in a chair next to the bed of one of his youngest patients, Keiko. She had been under his care since she was thirteen. Today was her sixteenth birthday. Though she had been sound asleep for several hours, Yuma did not move from her side.

Finally, after waiting all through the night, Yuma heard the door to the ward open softly, followed by the soft footsteps of a nurse tiptoeing toward him. "Doctor," she whispered, holding a clipboard out for him, "her bloodwork came back."

Yuma took the clipboard and quietly walked over toward the window, opening the blinds just enough to allow enough light to read by. He stood silently there for about a minute, pouring over every detail. Once he had finished, he handed the clipboard back to the nurse, tears trickling down his face. "Thank you," he said meekly.

The nurse took the clipboard back, fighting back her own tears. "I'm so sorry!" Without another word, she quietly left the ward.

Yuma approached Keiko's bed and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Happy birthday, Keiko," he whispered.

He left the hospital soon after and returned to his apartment nearby. He plopped down on the couch and fetched the driest liquor in his cupboard. He turned on his television but hardly paid it any attention as he drank himself to sleep.

Yuma woke around noon when a neighbor knocked on his door. He sat up and immediately felt the stinging in his head. He groaned and lay back down momentarily. The neighbor did not wait for him to answer before stuffing an envelope under his door and leaving. Once his head was a bit clearer, Yuma got off the couch, picked up the envelope, and carried it into the kitchen to prepare himself some coffee. He did not even notice that the television was still on with the volume turned down low.

As he sipped, he looked at the envelope and saw that it was from the Iwato Base. Excitedly, he opened it and began to read the letter inside. To his surprise, it was from Commander Takashima, Honda's pilot on missions. The body read:

 _We received the letter you wrote to Doctor Honda, but she is not here. She has taken a medical leave on account of possible mental health problems. She has asked to be left alone. That said, knowing how close the two of you are, she might like to hear from you. She said she would be in her home in Tokyo._

Yuma thought he knew Honda's home phone number, but was not sure could recall the digits in the correct order. He decided to give it a shot anyway.

* * *

Honda lurched from bed as the phone rang on her nightstand. She did not bother looking at the clock as she snatched up the handset. "Hello?" she said, surprised by the hoarseness of her own voice.

"Kumi?" asked Yuma on the other end, getting settled in front of the TV.

"Oh! Adam!" Honda sat up straighter, correcting her posture as if he was in the room with her. "How are you?"

"I'm…" He hesitated. "Well, I'm chuggin' along. Just thought I'd call you up, see what's happening. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay, for the most part."

"Are you sure? Kumi, I heard you were on medical leave for-"

"It's nothing!" she interjected. "Er, I mean, it's a little bit of something, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You sound defensive."

Honda said nothing back. She wanted to be open and honest with him, but did not know if she could.

Yuma gave a worried sigh. "Look, Kumi, I know I'm not a psychotherapist, but it definitely sounds like something's wrong. I mean, if it's enough that you're on medical leave…"

"I know, I know," said Honda, despondently. "I'm sorry, Adam. I just kind of feel like this is something I have to face on my own."

"You never have to face anything alone! I'm your friend and I want to help if I can."

"Thank you. I'll, uh…I'll think about it, but I don't really want to talk about it anymore right now."

"Fair enough. I won't press you too hard up front."

"I'd appreciate that. So, anyway, how's the hospital?"

"The hospital? Eh, same old same old."

"I read about that big breakthrough treatment you came up with. Yeah, the, uh, what was it called?"

"We don't have a name for it yet. Basically just a new type of chemo."

"Sure. But it works really well, right? The article I read mentioned Keiko, and said she was getting better. That's fantastic! How is she now?"

Yuma took a deep breath, trying as hard as he could to not cry. "She's worse again."

"What?!"

"Yeah. She went into remission for a while, but it didn't last. New blood work shows that the cancer is back and more aggressive than before. I'm out of options and out of time. Palliative care is all we have left."

"My god! Adam, I'm so sorry!"

Despite Yuma's best efforts, a tear broke free from his left eye and crawled down her cheek, leaving behind a salty trail. He covered his eyes and sank deeper into his seat.

When he did not speak again after a moment, Honda continued, "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Doubtful. Unless you can bring me some wine."

Honda sighed as she pondered her situation. She was so lonely yet so afraid to go out in public. "I could use a drop myself, honestly."

"So?"

"So, I'll just hop on my bike and be there in about a week."

Yuma chuckled and lowered his hand from over his face. As his eyes fell on the television, he gasped out loud.

"Adam?" said Honda. "Adam? Something wrong?"

"Kumi! Do you have a TV in the room?"

"What? Well, no, but I have a TV and another line in the kitchen."

"Turn on the news! You have got to see this!"

Moments later, Honda was in the kitchen, glued to her television as the news anchor narrated the events she was seeing.

" _For those just tuning in: the crew of the_ Daini-Gen'you-Maru _, a cargo ship that_ _went missing during a tropical storm earlier this week, have been found alive and well. They were spotted by a patrol helicopter near Odo Island in a lifeboat. It was previously speculated that the ship had drifted into the Adona Islands and been destroyed. No new word from government officials at this time."_

Honda watched and listened in amazement. Surely there was going to be some sort of investigation into this, right? Could this be her chance?

"Kumi? You there?"

Honda cleared her throat and tried to contain her excitement. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Sorry, but I have to go. I just spoke to Hirano at the research center. They're bringing those sailors in for evaluation, and they want me to oversee the process. Talk to you again soon!"


	2. Visions and Secrets

Doctor Yuma arrived at the Hiroshima Defense Science Center shortly before the sailors and was greeted at the door by Lieutenant Colonel Hirano. "Doctor Yuma! Good to see you again."

"You, too! It's been a while.

"Indeed. Doctor, prior to calling you, I spoke on the phone with the US Consulate in Nagoya. They're sending a representative to interview the men about what they saw. The Adonas are technically under American jurisdiction, so they're treating this as a matter of US defense intelligence."

"I see. So I can't question the men at all?"

"At least not until the Consul gets here."

Yuma gave a disappointed shrug. "Very well. I'll examine them as well as I can without questions."

Once the sailors arrived, Yuma oversaw the examination process with the help of the research center's staff, conducting multiple physical tests to ensure that the men were healthy. They paid special attention to the helmsman with inexplicable frostbite on his torso and arms, but did not question him. The men all had measurable amounts of radiation in their clothes, enough that Yuma estimated, based on rate of decay, that the levels would have been lethal three days prior.

The examination took several hours. Just as they were wrapping up, there came a knock on the laboratory door. Yuma answered it and was surprised by a familiar face, albeit one he had not seen in years.

"Lieutenant Clarke?"

The man greeted him with a smile. "That's _Major_ Clarke, now! What's up, Doc?"

"Wow!" Yuma stepped outside, shutting the door behind him, and shook the man's hand. "A Major now, eh?"

"Yes, sir! And I hear you've done pretty well for yourself, too."

"Eh!" Yuma shrugged. "Being a world famous scientists ain't all it's cracked up to be."

"At least it hasn't cost you your sense of humor."

"So, what brings you here? Growing a third eye under that hat?"

With a chuckle, Major Clarke removed his hat to reveal that his head underneath had significantly less hair than when they had last met but was otherwise normal. "Actually, I'm working defense intelligence now, and I've come to interview your new patients."

"Oh? Are you the representative from the Consulate?"

"That's correct."

"Of course! Come right in!" Yuma opened the door, but Clarke put a hand on his shoulder.

"In private, please."

Yuma was irritated that he still could not talk to the sailors about their experiences. "What's the big deal, anyway?"

"Corporal Yuma…excuse me, _Doctor_ Yuma. In light of the sensitive subject at hand, the UN is concerned about letting any unverified information get out. We're launching a thorough investigation, and for now, I'm afraid I have to take over from you."

Yuma sighed. "Fine. The men are all in here. Should I ask the rest of the staff to clear out?"

"That would be most appreciated."

* * *

Clarke spent over an hour with the sailors while Yuma sat waiting in his old office. It had been a while since he worked at the Defense Science Center; he quit rather abruptly after the Gargantua incident and did not bother to clear out all of his belongings, so he was surprised to see that most of it was still there, seemingly untouched. For example, on his desk sat a framed picture of Keiko from nearly two years prior. She looked nowhere near as emaciated as she was now. Yuma thought back to his decision to destroy his old research. He had never fully convinced himself that it had been the right move, and now he would never know if he could have used it to save Keiko's life.

After nearly an hour, Clarke emerged and came into the office. Yuma snapped back to the present and stood up. "Well?" he asked Clarke.

"Well what?"

"You just gonna leave me in the dark?"

The Major cleared his throat and spoke in a hushed voice. "I technically can't share any details with you right now, but I can tell you this much: the UN is already putting together an expedition to the Adona Islands, with experts in multiple fields, and your name is on the list."

"Me?"

"They need to examine the effects of radiation on the ecosystem, and you're just the man for the job."

"But I have patients here to care for!"

"And if you join the expedition, you might be able to save them."

Yuma was taken aback. "What? How do you mean?"

"Those men found something that kept them alive in a contaminated environment, and if their story is true, it could make radiation sickness a thing of the past. Tell me you don't find that enticing!"

Yuma was unsure of what to say. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keiko's picture again. After a few seconds' thought, he nodded in agreement.

* * *

Honda obsessively followed the news in hopes of hearing more about the _Daini-Gen'you-Maru_ incident, but there was little to see. Without anything solid to report, the media was scooping up rumors and dumping them just as quickly. It was being said that the crew had declined to share their experiences with the press, but she suspected that the government was trying to keep everything under wraps; those men saw something they were not supposed to.

On the second night after the initial news broke, her strange dreams returned in more detail. The luminous cross now appeared to be engraved into a golden coin. The mushroom cloud was rising over the sea. The craggy beach was back, and she could see her hands in front of her on the ground, as though she were crawling across the rocks. The object rising from the soil became partially visible; it was round, but she could not tell what it was. There were also three new visions. In the first, something flew over her head, but she could only see its shadow. In the second, a group of colorful, human-like shapes danced to a drum beat she could not quite make out. In the last, she saw a grounded ship, though what kind of ship she could not tell.

She awoke feeling irritated that the increasing clarity of her visions only brought more questions. She lay in bed for several hours, contemplating what she had seen, but she did not feel any closer to the truth. No sooner had she decided to give up and go about her day than the phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered nervously.

" _Doctor Honda? It's Omori."_

"Oh! Hello, General. Can I help you?"

" _Perhaps. Have you been following the news about the Adona Island survivors?"_

Honda's excitement grew, though she tried to play it cool. "Yes. What about it?"

" _The UN is launching an expedition to the islands, and they want you to come along."_

She took a breath and answered calmly. "I'm in."

" _Are you sure? I agreed to call you on their behalf, but I wasn't sure how much better or worse you might have gotten. Do think you're well enough to go?"_

"General, even if I was the most depressed and miserable person in the world, I wouldn't miss this for anything!"

" _Understandable. There's more."_

"Yes?"

" _They want you to bring the big guy."_

Honda grinned. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to join us."

* * *

Honda spent the next few days getting ready for the expedition. Her work had taken her to dangerous and exotic places before, but these were different circumstances. She took brief trips out of the house while attempting to train her mind to quiet down instead of inundating her with information from her surroundings. This was easier said than done. Before, her telepathy was something she had to concentrate to use; now it was like a sixth sense that she could not turn off.

She found that the best approach was to focus on the task at hand. When she walked down the street, she kept her mind on the rhythm of her footsteps and regarded her fellow pedestrians as mere obstacles to be avoided. It made her feel cold and aloof, and she could only imagine that her deliberate gait and steadfast gaze made her look extremely cross to passersby; nevertheless, it helped her detach just enough that the thoughts of others around her, though still flowing to her as if spoken aloud, were more of a mumbling chorus than the cacophony she had experienced before.

Controlling her telekinetic surges during sleep proved to be a greater challenge. During the day, she meditated and practiced exerting control over her surroundings, attempting to mentally feel every surface and object in the house at once. This seemed to help; she would still wake occasionally from intense dreams to find the bedroom shaking, but there were no more nights of clearing fallen belongings from the floor.

When the day came, Honda was ready. A police car arrived at her house early in the morning. Not knowing how long the trip would be, but with the expectancy that she would either be able to wash her clothes aboard the ship or spend most of her time ashore in a radiation suit, she had packed a week's worth of clothing; this filled one suitcase, her scientific tools another, and both took up half of the back seat.

The car ride was uneventful; the cops in the front were silent, there was no radio, and there was no activity with which Honda could busy herself with on the way. Instead, she poured over what she could remember from her dreams, for the visions continued to grow stronger and stranger. She could still only see the shadow of whatever was flying over, but she could sense that it was something alive. The mushroom cloud grew over the sea, sending out lightning bolts. The round object emerging from the soil was mostly visible; it was white with multicolored sparkles like an opal. She saw the dancing figures and could just barely hear that they were chanting something, though what she could not deduce. The wrecked ship was slightly clearer, although the name was partially obscured by caked on mud. The meaning of it all still alluded her, but Honda managed to keep her mind occupied for the length of the car ride to the Port of Tokyo.

When they arrived, she saw the ship that would take them on the expedition, the USS _Orion_. It was a battleship armed with newly-designed plasma cannons, a leftover from the now-defunct Project M branch of UNMCC research. Such heavy armaments clearly indicated that Project G's assistance was not merely a precaution; the UN was fully expecting them to be in grave danger. Always a fun prospect, Honda mused.

Around the _Orion_ was a throng of shouting people. That they were shouting was all Honda knew for sure; weather they cheered or jeered, she could not tell. "What's going on?" she asked.

The cop in the front passenger seat answered her. "Some of them have come to bid _bon voyage_ and show their support for the expedition."

"Ooh, that's nice!" said Honda, adding nervously, "And the others?"

"Protestors. They think the UN is trying to bury the truth or wants to exploit the land."

"Oh. Ohhh…" Honda could feel her heart rate increasing. She worried that with so many intense and conflicting emotions being spouted by so many people, she might not be able to shut it all out. She had suffered anxiety attacks from telepathic overload before, and she was terrified of having one here. When the car stopped, Honda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Concentrate_ , she told herself. She exhaled, opened her eyes, and opened the car door.

Honda instantly regretted being there. The psychic stimulus was overpowering! It was unlike walking down the street amidst people lost in their own thoughts. There was rapture and there was rage, all of it directed at her as she stepped out of the car. For a moment, Honda was certain that she would faint. She held the door tightly, steadying herself against it as she tried to regain control.

 _Focus on the task_ , she thought.

One of the cops extended a hand to help her, but she shook her head and stepped forward. There was a roped-off path leading to the _Orion_ 's boarding steps. With one cop to either side, she walked through the path.

The supporters and protestors were not segregated but all cramming against one another to get closest to the ropes, many holding signs and props, all shouting. Honda's temples throbbed torturously and she started to lose her balance again. The sea of faces and roar of voices would have been enough to make her anxious even if the psychic surge had not been inescapable. It was like she was trying to walk inside a big metal barn during a hailstorm.

 _Remember the goal._

Honda tried to remind herself of why she was going on this journey. Not for the government. Not for the military. Not for science. For herself. She needed to know the truth. But, she remembered, that was her own reason; it was not the reason she had been sent for. What if she was not able to solve her mystery when others with different priorities were watching her every move? What if she found the answers but blew her cover? Would she be like Sanda or Gaira, another living project for the military to experiment on?

Before she knew it, her mind had wandered. Her defenses dropped and everything came pouring in. She felt it all, but especially the contempt, which turned to derision as the protesters saw her unease. It was too much. She staggered. She panicked. She fell. She blacked out.

* * *

"Kumi! Kumi, wake up!'

Honda's eyes snapped open as she sucked in air like her lungs had been pinched closed.

"Kumi!" shouted Yuma, seated next to her. "I think we're in trouble!"

They were in what appeared to be a cabin of the _Orion_. The cabin was shaking as though the ship would fall to pieces! Realizing her telekinesis was out of control again, Honda quickly calmed herself down. The motion subsided, but still Yuma looked around worriedly. She was lying on a small, uncomfortable bed, while he sat in a chair by her side.

"What happened?" asked Honda, feigning ignorance.

"I don't know! I thought the ship was going to explode or something!"

"No, I mean, how did I get here? One moment I was on the boarding steps, and then…"

"You passed out. It was weird; a bunch of people on the dock passed out, too."

Honda's heart sank. When she passed out, she was not just receiving psychic signals. She was sending them out, too. "Oh, no! Was anyone seriously hurt?"

"I don't think so. We waited around and watched, but the medical team got everyone up and hydrated again."

"Did they say anything?"

"Who? The medical team?"

"No, the people who fainted."

"Uh…like what?"

Honda wanted to know if there had been any psychic transference. She might have already exposed herself by accident. But, of course, she could not ask that out loud. "I don't know, like…if they saw or felt something funny."

"Not that I heard. Everybody was just dizzy and overheated."

Honda could hardly relax without a sure answer. Now that she knew that her telepathy could be dangerous if unchecked, she would have to be even more cautious with her powers in the future.

Yuma tried to break the awkward silence. "Looks like we get to spend some time together after all!"

Honda chuckled weakly. "Wasn't quite what we had in mind, but it rarely is."

"Ain't that the truth," said Yuma, reaching for a canteen. "Here! Drink some water."

"Thanks," said Honda, taking a deep swig.

The cabin door had swung open from the vibrations. A seaman came walking by but paused in the doorway, looking confused. "Are you two okay?"

"We'll be fine," said Yuma. "What the hell was all that shaking just now?"

"Shaking?"

"This whole cabin was shaking! What, did nobody else feel it?"

The seaman stuck his head in and looked around before backing out with a shrug. "I'll get someone to take a look at it later. But first, I was told to let you know that we'll be leaving soon, and to fetch Doctor Honda."

"He's here!" said Honda, jumping to her feet, dropping the empty canteen. A second later, she was out the door, leaving Yuma behind, shaking his head in bewilderment at her rapid change in mood.

Honda ran to the _Orion_ 's top deck and saw a familiar aircraft approaching. It was the _Shirasagi_ , the fastest plane in the world, developed for use by Project G. The plane did not land but circled the ship for a few moments. Honda could see the pilot, Takashima, waving to her, and waved back. She then skipped over to the rails and looked out across the ocean. She could see the water churning and sloshing in the distance, a faint blue glow emanating from under the surface. Godzilla had come!

Having completed his task of leading Godzilla to the port, Takashima turned his aircraft around and sped back toward Iwato Island in the south. When at last Godzilla was within a kilometer of the _Orion_ , he raised his fierce visage and then his mighty torso from the water, letting out a roar that could deafen the gods. He then looked down at the battleship below and locked eyes with Honda.

 _My old friend_ , he said to her telepathically, _it is good to see you up and well again._

"And the same to you," replied Honda. "Ready for an adventure?"

 _Always._

"Don't suppose you'd like to tell me what we're going to see?"

 _I don't even know where we're going! Your friends in the flying machine just led me here._

"To the place you came from, of course! The Adonas!"

Godzilla cocked his head to one side.

"Well?"

 _I cannot explain it all. The Wise Ones will have the answers you seek._

"Are you sure you can't tell me who they are?"

 _They are the Wise Ones. That's all I know._

Honda rolled her eyes, but not angrily. She decided that she would just have to wait and see.

 _Until then_ , said Godzilla, _stay close and stay safe. There are many other big and scary things on those islands._

"Bigger and scarier than you?"

Godzilla reared back his head and made several short, throaty grunts; it was his version of a laugh.

"I thought not!" said Honda, laughing the human way.

Godzilla dipped back under the water and swam side by side with the _Orion_ as it fired up its engines and headed east. The voyage had begun!


	3. Hic Sunt Dracones

There were about thirty scientists of many fields from around the world attending the expedition. Shortly after Godzilla's arrival, Major Clarke called a meeting for them in the ship's wardroom, but allowed them time to eat and converse before the briefing began. There was a lot of chatter as the various gathered scientists introduced themselves to each other, discussed and debated their perspectives, and exchanged contact information. Honda felt uncomfortable; whether she was having another incident or simply feeling overwhelmed by the chatter, she could not be sure, but either way, she avoided joining in. While Yuma made the rounds and eventually got into a friendly debate with a biologist from Brazil, Honda sat apart from the rest, sipping from a cup of cream and sugar that allegedly also contained some quantifiable amount of coffee.

After a short while, another scientist sat down across from her, an Arab woman holding a cup of similarly over-sweetened coffee. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Honda rubbed her temples. "Bit of a headache. That's all."

"I hope it gets better soon."

"Thank you! I'm Doctor Kumi Honda, paleontologist and…you know, I just realized my other profession doesn't have an actual title!"

The other woman smiled warmly. "I guess you're just special!"

Honda laughed quietly. "I suppose so. Sorry, but I didn't catch your name…"

"Oh! My manners! I'm Doctor Yadira Amirpour, anthropologist. And also something of a fan."

Honda blushed and giggled. "A fan? Oh, my!"

Amirpour blushed, too. "Sorry. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, not at all. It's just…I think this is the first time a fellow scientist has called themselves a 'fan' of mine. Usually it's just little kids who just think it's cool that I can talk to monsters."

"I mean, it _is_ pretty cool, though, right?"

"Haha! Yeah, I guess it is!"

Amirpour took a sip from her drink and leaned back. "I've also read some of your literature. I was intrigued by your article about Rodan and how he didn't fit with the…oh, what was it called?"

"The Hirose Hypothesis."

"Yes! The idea that these monsters came from the Adonas and were mutated and displaced by the atomic test in 1954."

"That's the one. Rodan was entombed alive in a dormant volcano millions of years ago and managed to survive until the present day. Not only that, but like the other monsters, he was especially enormous, much larger than any other pterosaur."

"I thought that was very interesting. Now, I don't recall an alternative explanation being presented in your article. Do you think you have a better explanation yet?"

Honda sighed and toyed with the mixing straw, ignoring the by now lukewarm drink. "I didn't publish it for a reason. I'm sure it would be controversial. Actually, the same Doctor Hirose who made the famous hypothesis was a colleague of mine and we sort of had a falling out over our disagreement."

"That's too bad. Would you mind telling me what you think really happened?"

"Well, it's only tentative, but here's what I think: the giant creatures we see now aren't simply mutations caused by the A-bomb. They were products of natural evolution with unique biological properties that granted them increased size and longevity. Now, the fact that they seemed to disperse outward from the Adonas and appeared shortly after the atomic test there does suggest that many of them survived in that region, but some of them must have ventured beyond the Adonas in the distant past."

"Such as Rodan."

"Correct. Of course, the counterpoint would be that no remains of these supersized creatures were ever found prior to their reappearance. Maybe Rodan is the exception and the rest were confined to that region after all, but I still think this points to a different cause. The A-bomb might have awoken them from the same ancient slumber, but they were unique long before modern technology disturbed them."

"That's fascinating! You must be very excited to find out for sure."

"Very. So, Doctor Amirpour, you say you're an anthropologist?"

"Yes. I've studied the people and languages of the Pacific Islands and spent time among several of their tribes."

"I see, though I do have to wonder, why would they need an anthropologist if we're going to a place with no people?"

Amirpour shrugged. "Maybe they expect to find ancient ruins or something? Maybe the lost continent of Mu?"

Honda chuckled. "Or Nirai Kanai, maybe."

"Nirai Kanai? I don't think I'm familiar with that one."

"It's a holy place in the Ryukyuan faith. My mother was from Okinawa and believed that Nirai Kanai was the birthplace of life itself."

"How interesting! Do you believe that, too?"

"I don't know what I believe. My father practiced Shinto, and my parents practiced their beliefs separately; I guess I believe a little of both, but I don't think about it much. Still, these last few years have taught me to keep a very open mind."

Just then, Major Clarke rose from his seat across the room and cleared his throat. "Everyone, if I could have your attention please, we will now commence the briefing."

As the room became quiet and everyone returned to their seats, Clarke walked to the front of the room where everyone could see him, followed by a Japanese man in casual clothes.

Clarke began, "Ladies and gentlemen, respected scientists and researchers, I would like to thank you all for joining us on this expedition, and apologize that we have not been entirely open with you. No doubt some of you have begun to wonder why we have a psychologist, an anthropologist, and an archaeologist aboard, and a few of you may have figured it out. The Adona Islands are, according to the testimony of the _Daini-Gen'you-Maru_ crew, inhabited by human beings."

The entire room gasped at once, including Honda.

Clarke introduced his guest. "This gentleman here is Mister Ito, the ship's navigator. I'll allow him to explain what he saw."

"Thank you. I remember the whole experience vividly. We were transporting cargo from Hokkaido to Hawaii when we got word that the storm was coming sooner than expected. Our captain decided to change course to try to avoid it, taking us closer to the islands than originally intended, but the storm still hit us hard and drove us further off course. After our instruments failed, we had no idea where we were, and we were too busy fighting to control the ship to wonder. Then out of nowhere, we were attacked!"

As Ito described what happened next, he became excited and gesticulated wildly.

"This giant tentacle crept up over the sides of the ship and smashed the bridge window. It wrapped around the helmsman and tried to pull him out. The captain and I freed him, but not before it left marks all over him."

The Brazilian biologist interrupted Ito with a question. "What sort creature was this? A jellyfish with poison stingers?"

"Not a jellyfish; it had suckers like a squid. And his wounds were more like frostbite. Come to think of it, after the captain shot at the tentacle and it pulled away, this clear fluid came out and the bridge got really cold for about a minute."

A French chemist joined in. "Maybe the creature was emitting liquid nitrogen or CO2."

"Incredible!" said the biologist. "A creature that chemically freezes its quarry!"

Major Clarke spoke up. "Let Mister Ito tell his story, please."

Ito continued. "More tentacles came creeping up and we feared the worst, but then…um…" He hesitated, seemingly embarrassed. "Well, I don't really remember what happened next. I guess I passed out, and when I came to, we were in this cave and the natives were all around us."

Now Amirpour interjected. "Could you tell us what these natives looked like?"

Ito shrugged. "They looked like Pacific Islanders, I guess. Sorry, but I don't know how to be any more specific than that. Dark skin with features like East Asian people. Actually, I do think they were taller than other island people. The men were mostly about my height, and there was one woman taller than anyone else. I think she may have been their leader. She definitely had a commanding voice."

Amirpour asked, "Did she say any-?"

Clarke cut her off. "Please, Doctor. Let Ito tell his story."

Ito smiled. "It's okay! I'm not much of a storyteller, so if you have something to ask…" His voice trailed off as he saw Clarke's disapproving glare. "Anyway, she was speaking a different language. I thought I recognized some of the words he said, but I couldn't place them. She talked to her people but only used gestures for us. They instructed us to drink this weird soup. We saw them make it first out of this blue mold growing on the wall. It smelled awful and tasted worse, but they were pretty insistent, so we drank it. Then they took our shirts and smeared us in something pulpy like orange juice, except it somehow smelled worse than the soup. They rubbed it on themselves, too, then led us out of the cave and through the jungle."

The mumbling began anew and a few hands went up, but Ito preempted their questions.

"And before anyone asks, I don't know anything about botany, so I couldn't tell you anything about the plants we saw. But there were _a lot_ of plants. This was no barren desert island! So, on our way through the jungle, we saw a giant dinosaur, one of those big meat-eating ones with the tiny arms. It saw us, but it didn't attack. It just stared at us for a few seconds and then left. The big woman looked at us and sniffed her arm; I guess she was trying to tell us that the stinky juice repelled the dinosaur. We got to the beach and saw our ship; it was a mess, but they had two catamarans ready. They had stocked one with fruit and nuts, and there was a barrel of that smelly juice on each side. She cut a little hole in the bottom of both with her knife and let it trickle out into the water, probably to keep sea monsters away. They climbed into the empty boat and motioned for us to enter the stocked one. They led us some ways away from the island, then waved farewell and rowed back, following the trail of juice on the water. We were on the sea for a couple days, then a helicopter found us, and…well, that's that."

Nearly everyone in the room raised a hand, but Clarke motioned for Ito to be seated and took over. "Mister Ito agreed to share his story and to help us find the inhabited island. Before I dismiss you all, I'd like to mention a few items of particular interest. We've speculated that the mold the natives used to make the soup had medicinal properties similar to penicillium that prevented the helmsman's frostbite from becoming infected. However, they gave it to the rest of the crewmen, too. We therefore believe it may also have inoculated them against radiation poisoning."

Clarke was completely drowned out by the excited chatter of the assembled scientists. A cure for radiation seemed almost unbelievable!

Honda looked around and saw Yuma, not joining in, but staring off into space, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. She hoped for his sake that this news was true.

As Clarke tried to restore order, there was a sudden commotion outside. The door burst open and a naval officer came in, dragging along with him by the collar a somewhat chubby fellow in a uniform clearly made for someone taller (but not particularly rounder) than himself. Honda recognized him immediately: Koichi Yamada, a reporter who had at one time been a confidant and source of information for her.

Major Clarke recognized him, too. "You again!"

Yamada grinned cheekily. "Me again! So, uh…how many times is this now that we've run into each other?"

"Too many! You knew this was a top secret operation with no reporters allowed, yet you stowed away anyhow!"

The other officer tightened his grip on Yamada's collar. "He was listening at the door."

"Oh, yeah?" Clarke sneered. "How much did you hear?"

"Uh, just a little. Something about soup, orange juice, and calamari? Is there any leftover?"

Clarke's sneer turned to a stony frown. "I'm of a mind to put you in a life jacket and drop you over the side, but instead, I think I'll be merciful and put you on KP duty!"

Yamada showed no sign of disappointment or concern; he instead threw a sarcastic salute and said, "Aye, aye, skipper!"

As the other officer led Yamada out and everyone else either groaned or snickered, Clarke looked like he was about to burst every blood vessel in his body. Honda now felt uneasy about the level of secrecy around the mission and Clarke's anger. Granted, Yamada certainly had that effect on people at times, but this was something more. Becoming curious, Honda decided to see if she could peer into Clarke's mind and see what he was doing. She focused on him for a moment and presently began to hear his thoughts. He was concerned about getting into trouble for the secrecy of his mission being compromised, understandably, but he had another concern on his mind. She could make out a word – "Seatopia"?

Clarke abruptly turned and looked straight at Honda with apparent alarm on his face. The room went dead silent.

Honda broke her connection to him and tried to look calm. She remembered a time when she read Gaira's mind only for it to put her in danger when it turned out the connection went both ways. Had she made that same mistake again?

Presently, Clarke's alarm turned to bewilderment as he looked around the room and addressed everyone. "I won't remind you again that everything you see and hear on this expedition is classified, and that anyone found guilty of providing information to the press or any outside sources without specific authorization will be punished to the fullest extent of the law! Is that clear?"

As everyone nodded in agreement, Honda slowly and quietly exhaled. She decided in that moment not to use her powers that way again until she could control them better.

* * *

Honda could barely sleep that night.

Awake, her mind wandered. What would they find on the islands? Who were the Wise Ones? What was "Seatopia"? Why was Clarke being so secretive? Had she blown her cover after all?

Asleep, her dreams took on a disturbing quality. Honda once again saw her hands before her as she dragged herself across the craggy beach, but the rocks were covered in blood. The white opal shattered and a monstrous cry came from within. The music to which the colorful figures danced grew clearer and sounded quite ominous, like a war chant. The wrecked ship was now more visible. It was no cargo ship, and the name on the side was quite clear: _Orion_. A moment later, the shadowy figure in the sky plunged toward her, petrifying her with the sinister gleam of its fiery red eyes, before the mushroom cloud appeared again to consume everything in sight.

Honda awoke drenched in sweat, able to think of only one thing: the ship was in danger!

Still wearing her kimono pajamas, she darted out of her cabin. The metal door slammed hard against the wall, waking Yuma in the next cabin. Honda dashed up to the main deck. It was early in the morning, just before sunrise. There was just enough light that she could see the first island in the distance, looming high above the water. Fearing she was too late, she hurried to the conning tower. Before entering, she could hear Mister Ito and Major Clarke bickering inside.

"You must listen to me, Major!"

"Must I? Who has the authority here, you or me?"

"But the way you're going is too dangerous!"

Honda stepped inside. The men continued to argue without noticing her.

"Nonsense! According to your description, this is the most direct route to the island we want to land on."

"But this is too near where the giant squid attacked us! It may be lying in wait, even now!"

Honda called out, "Major! Please, you must listen to him!"

Clarke looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing here? If you really want to be of help, go wake up your big friend."

Knowing Clarke would not relent, Honda went to do as she was instructed. Godzilla was not actually asleep, but awake and swimming to keep pace with the ship. She ran to the side of the ship and shouted his name. He reared upright and turned to face her. _What is it?_

"Be on the lookout! There may be a giant creature in the water nearby!"

 _Will do._

Yuma was at Honda's side a moment later, wearing only his robe and a pair of pajama pants. "What's happening?"

"We're near the islands now. We're on the lookout for the giant squid."

"Really?" Yuma looked and saw the nearby landmass. "God dammit! What are they thinking? We shouldn't be this close without radiation suits!"

Godzilla suddenly whirled around and fired his heat ray into the water about a kilometer away. Something came racing toward them underneath the water, its yellow eyes glowing in the dark. As Honda and Yuma backed away from the ship's railing, Godzilla fired again, but the other monster dived deeper and came up from under him. Godzilla shrieked as long tentacles wrapped around him and began dousing him in freezing chemicals. His attacker raised itself out of the water, revealing its head, which had a dense bony crest. The creature was not a squid, but a colossal cuttlefish of the Gezora family.

The two monsters thrashed about, splashing the _Orion_ and threatening to swamp it. Honda and Yuma were swept off their feet in the chaos. As the ship turned almost sideways, they were slammed against the side of the superstructure. Honda managed to grab onto a ladder hanging from the deck above and brace herself, but Yuma struck his head against the metal wall.

"Adam!" Honda screamed, grabbing him and pulling him close. He was unconscious, but she could sense his heartbeat. When the ship rocked back the other way, she had to cling to Yuma and the ladder with each hand, pushing her physical strength to the limit. It tilted back again a moment later, causing Yuma to lay against her back. Quickly, she reached for the belt of his robe, felt that it was unknotted, and tied it around herself and the ladder. The ship leaned toward the other side, they were held in place, but Honda knew the belt would not last for long.

Godzilla tried to blast Gezora's head only to have a tentacle wrapped around his neck. More coolant came flowing from the suckers, causing his flesh to blister and peel. He could feel his insides getting colder, too. If his core temperature dropped too low, the nuclear reactions keeping him alive might cease! Being careful not to use up too much power at once, he emitted an atomic pulse that scorched the tentacles and caused Gezora to recoil in agony, its bony head slamming hard into the water. Unfortunately, the burst suckers had also released more coolant, so now Godzilla was almost covered in the stuff. His internal temperature continued to decline.

Water continued to rush over the side of the _Orion_. Those inside struggled to avoid being battered against the walls, while those outside were mostly swept overboard. Realizing the crew might not regain control of the vessel in time, Honda attempted to steady it herself with her telekinetic powers. She closed her eyes and exerted all of her strength. Nothing happened! She could feel every beam, plank, and sheet of metal on the ship, but it would not bend to her will. Honda continued to push her powers. She could just begin to feel the metal shifting, but she was not yet in control. She gripped the ladder and yelled as she gave it her all. She tightened her grip until the hard edges of the metal gashed the palms of her hands, but still the vessel yielded not.

Gezora launched itself at Godzilla once more. Finally, he was able to use his breath again, blasting three of its tentacles off. Blood came gushing forth, but so did more coolant. Godzilla was showered in it, freezing him almost completely solid. As the cuttlefish's life ebbed away and Godzilla was rendered immobile, both sank into the sea.

Honda hardly felt the pain in her hands as blood rushed to her head. Her concentration was breaking. The _Orion_ gave a hard lurch. With Honda and Yuma once again dangling from the ladder, the belt finally parted and they both crashed into the sea below.


	4. Marooned!

Honda saw the beach again, but this time every detail was so much clearer. She could feel the rocky land underneath her, the cold, wet garment clinging to her skin, and the blood seeping from her hands. It took her a moment to realize that she was awake and seeing it for real. She was on one of the Adona Islands!

Her first thought was to seek shelter. Exposed, she was an easy target for predators. She tried to lift herself up and had to stifle a scream. A searing pain in her lower back made standing unbearable, but she knew she had to move. She began dragging herself along the beach, only for the gashes in her hands to make that every bit as torturous. Every nerve and muscle in Honda's body was either sore or numb. Her mind, however, was awake and alert.

 _Oh, well_ , she thought. _No test like a field test._

Using telekinesis, Honda raised herself upright and hovered just above the ground. She could see a forest of towering trees about two hundred meters away. She floated toward them, slowly at first. She had never done this before and it took a while to find her balance. Once she had steadied herself, she tried going faster. Soon she was practically flying. It was exhilarating! Forgetting her dangerous situation for a moment, she whooped for joy.

However, once she reached the tree line, Honda snapped back to reality. The first order of business was to see to her injuries. Although the gashes in her hands were not deep, they were still bleeding a bit. She used her powers to pull the skin closed over the wounds, wincing at the burning sensation this caused. She could not make the tissue fuse back together, so instead, still using telekinesis, she tore two strips of cloth from the bottom of her kimono and wrapped them around her hands. As a bandage, it was not ideal, but it would do for the moment. Next, she reached around her back to feel for broken bones, wounds, or foreign objects. Thankfully, there were none. The soreness must have come from landing hard on her back in the water and laying on the shore in an odd position. She set herself back down on the ground and took a few steps; she could walk just fine, and the discomfort was not too great.

Then she remembered that Yuma had hit the water first and taken the brunt of the impact. If she was sore, what had become of him? Had he survived?

Honda turned her gaze back to the beach. There was not a soul to be seen, nor any sign of the ship. She had no idea if anyone else had survived the sinking of the _Orion_ or if she was on a populated island. She tried to make psychic contact with Godzilla; no response came, which she took to mean that he was still frozen and unconscious. The situation looked grim; she was far from home, alone in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

She looked into the forest. According to Ito's testimony, there were still giant creatures in the area – giant, ancient, dangerous creatures who would likely gobble her up. Under normal circumstances, that sort of thing might deter her, and yet, something compelled her to proceed. She wanted to know more about the Wise Ones, the the golden cross, the red eyes, and the white opal, and she felt as though the answers lay within the forest.

As she walked, her eyes looked everywhere at once. She wanted to avoid rubbing up against any poisonous leaves or thorny branches, but she also wanted to drink in all the details of her surroundings. Even setting aside the fact that the island had miraculously survived an atomic blast untouched, the forest was more vibrant and colorful than anything she had seen before! With the exception of the dark, mineral-rich soil, everything had a brilliant hue: emerald, scarlet, cyan, but the yellows especially stuck out to her, in particular a tall citrus tree with fruit as bright as the sun.

Honda's stomach growled. Hungry and curious, she used her telekinesis to grab one of the fruits from high above her head. She caught it and brought it closer to her face to give it a sniff. The smell was delightful, like strawberry lemonade. Taking the fruit in both hands, she gave it a twist, causing it to break open and the juices inside to squirt out.

Honda gagged and dropped it to the ground. Despite the fruit's initial temptation, the smell of the juice itself was appallingly acidic. She recalled Ito's mention of the juice that the islanders smeared on themselves to ward off predators and surmised that this must have been the same fruit. With her appetite sufficiently ruined for the moment, she wiped her hands off on her kimono and continued onward.

As she walked further into the forest, she felt as though she had stepped through a portal into another world. In her captivation, she forgot any concern about her powers acting up. The wildlife came in every shape and size. A pair of rhinoceros beetles as big as actual rhinoceroses locked horns in a duel. An archaeopteryx landed on a branch near Honda's path and cocked its head at her as she walked by. A mammal resembling a giant ground sloth but with an armored carapace feasted on towering sugarcane.

The most awe-inspiring creature was a sauropod dinosaur with several rows of bright red plumage running the length of its spine; with his neck raised fully upright, he was nearly one hundred meters tall. The majestic dinosaur walked directly over Honda's head without noticing her and continued onward. She watched him go in amazement, and even once he was two kilometers away, he was still visible.

She was quickly reminded, however, that even the largest animals here were not safe. The plumed sauropod paused and looked about as though sensing danger. There came a sibilant cackle, and a thirty-meter-long theropod lunged from out of the tall trees on spring-like legs that propelled her through the air like a bullet; Honda knew the powerful legs were a trademark of the genus Gorosaurus. The predator wrapped herself around the sauropod's long neck, causing him to stagger back, just barely keeping his footing. The herbivore tried swinging his neck to break free, but Gorosaurus held on tight and clamped her long, razor tooth-filled jaws around her quarry's throat, killing him with one hard twist. The earth moaned from the shifting of the slain giant's falling carcass, and when he came crashing down to the ground, the entire island shook, knocking Honda off her feet. She stood up and hurried on, not bothering to watch Gorosaurus savor her meal; the gruesome incident had effectively reminded her just how far down the food chain she was here.

After a short while, Honda arrived in an area surrounded by a ring of tall trees with long purple vines that stretched from the highest branches down to the forest floor. Vegetation was sparse on the forest floor in this area, and there were large dead patches, as though the ground had been impacted repeatedly. Honda saw something in the midst of one of those patches and approached to take a look. Just barely sticking out of the ground were the bones of some kind of animal.

THUD!

Honda yelped as something hit the ground hard behind her. Turning around nervously, she saw the corpse of a juvenile ceratopsian. Its body was covered in gaping wounds, yet there was not a drop of blood to be seen. Three vines snaked down from the branches directly above the body. They were swollen and deep red; Honda concluded that they were engorged with the dinosaur's blood.

Cautiously, she tried to leave the area without touching any of the ominous vines. She was almost to the edge of the clearing when the drained body of a monkey almost landed on top of her. Startled, she jumped sideways and brushed up against a vine.

In the blink of an eye, three of them grabbed her, one by each arm, one around the waist. Honda screamed in terror as she was lifted off the ground. Needles emerged from the vines, stabbing through her clothes and into her skin. She tried using telekinesis to break their grip, but she had yet to master control of moving objects and thus only succeeded in causing the vines to swing wildly about; instead of loosening their grip at all, the needles ripped and tore her flesh.

Honda feared she would not last long; for all she knew, the needles could be filling her veins with toxins or anticoagulant, or the vines might constrict her until she passed out. She looked around, desperately searching for something she could levitate and use to break herself free. Something unexpected caught her attention instead: a little flying animal swooped down and circled above her. Instantly the vines eased their grip and lowered her to the ground.

Honda looked up and saw the creature land on a nearby branch. It was a moth the size of a raven. Its body was white and covered in a fur-like fuzz, while its cornflower blue wings had black stripes and eye spots. The lovely moth looked at her with shimmering turquoise eyes. Honda heard a soft, feminine voice in her head say, _Follow me._ Then the moth took to the air and flew deeper into the jungle, staying below the trees.

Honda was awestruck, but she put aside her excitement for the moment and followed the moth through the forest.

Soon she saw long, silky cords pulled taught between trees and rocks. _These are traps_ , said the voice. _Beware not to touch them!_

Honda leaped over one of the strands, winced upon landing, and decided to levitate over them.

 _Fascinating! I could sense that you had powers, but you have more control than I expected._

"What are you?" asked Honda. "I mean, _who_ are you?"

 _Both fair questions that we can discuss later. Your friends need you._

Honda felt terrible for having forgotten about the others. She increased her speed, only to be stopped in place by the moth's telekinesis less than a meter short of plowing straight through a cord.

The moth shook her head _. Keep working at it_. She lifted Honda over the obstacle and set her down. _The trees end just ahead. Your friends are there. You must help them._

"What about you?"

 _It's better for now that they not see me. Don't worry. Others will be here soon to help you. I'll be watching._

"Wait! Can't you at least tell me your name?"

The moth opened her mandibles a bit, in what Honda interpreted as a smile. _My name is Lora. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you soon!_ Without another word, the talking insect darted away.

Honda watched her go until she was out of sight, but she did not doddle for much longer. Just a few more steps took her out of the forest. Before her lay a sloped, rocky pit lined with more of the silky strands, which converged at one point, surrounded by spiral structures for reinforcement. It was a giant spider web! There were four sacks suspended from the webbing; they all wiggled about, and there were muffled cries from within.

Honda crept down the slope toward the nearest one. She placed her hands on it only for the wiggling and crying to intensify. She grabbed a handful of the silk and tore it back, revealing a familiar face within.

"Doctor Amirpour!"

"Doctor Honda!"

"What happened?" asked Honda, working quickly to free Amirpour from her bindings.

"I don't know!" As one of Amirpour's arms came free, she touched a swelling on her left temple. "One minute I was on the ship getting dressed for the expedition, then I fell, and then I woke up wrapped in this…this…cocoon, or whatever you call it!" Once both hands were free, Amirpour helped in tearing away the webbing until the sack parted down the middle, dropping her to the ground and ripping the cord holding it aloft.

Honda tensed as the taut cord was yanked upward by the release of tension. From deep within the forest, she sensed the presence of something colossal on the move. "Something's coming!" she said. "We have to hide!"

Amirpour pointed to a meter-wide crevice nearby. "There!"

They snuck carefully over to the crevice and found that it opened up into a cave, large enough to walk around in and keep out of view from the surface. Honda could feel the monster drawing nigh. Cautiously, she poked her head out for a look.

A gigantic yellow and black-striped spider emerged from the trees, following the long webs back into her nest in the pit. The spider, which Honda recognized as the species Kumonga _,_ closely examined the severed cord. Upon finding that one of her would-be prey had escaped, she began searching the nest.

As the spider came near where Honda and Amirpour were hiding, they stepped back into the shadows. Honda accidentally kicked something that rattled. She looked down and saw a human femur at her feet. She gasped loudly, but Amirpour grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! Don't move and don't make a sound!"

The fearsome arachnid came closer and peered inside. Amirpour pulled Honda back into the shadows where they could not be seen. After a few moments, the spider turned away. Amirpour relaxed her grip, and they both carefully peeked outside. The spider was nowhere to be seen.

Honda and Amirpour left their hiding place and went to the aid of their friends. Honda sensed that Yuma was in one of the sacks and ran straight to him. She pulled away the webbing, bit by bit, going gently to avoid breaking another cord.

"Kumi!" Yuma shouted joyously upon seeing her.

They worked together until he was out, then joined Amirpour in freeing the other two captives, who turned out to be Yamada and Ito. Once everyone was out, they went back to the cave and Honda explained the situation while they all sat in a circle.

"Shipwrecked?" exclaimed Yamada. His surprised gawk morphed into a grin. "How exciting!"

Ito looked despondently at the ground. Yuma gave the reporter a slap on the arm. "Exciting?! We're stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere!"

Yamada shrugged. "Well, if nothing else, it'll make for a great story!" Yamada stood up and walked toward the cave entrance, near enough that he had light to see by but staying just out of sight. He reached into the pocket of his stolen uniform and pulled out a notebook with a fountain pen thrust into the rings, only to find that the pen had burst and saturated the pages with ink. Yamada threw them both to the ground and sat back down, pouting with his arms crossed. "You're right. This stinks!"

"Good lord," groaned Yuma. "You really don't get it, do you? We're probably all going to die and all you can think about-"

"That's enough!" said Honda. "Arguing isn't going to do us any good."

"Agreed," said Amirpour. "We ought to get moving. Mister Ito, could you show us the way?"

Ito shook his head. "I don't recognize this area. I don't even know if this is the same island I landed on."

Yamada was taken aback. "What do you mean? How many islands with giant monsters are there?"

Amirpour replied, "The Adona is a huge archipelago with many islands. We could be on any one of them."

Yamada let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, that's just perfect. So what do we do? Wander around in the jungle and hope we don't get gobbled up by those beasts?"

Yuma piped up, "Kumi! Why don't you contact Godzilla?"

Honda closed her eyes and tried. "I can sense him, vaguely. He's alive but not responding. I can't pen down his location."

Amirpour looked toward the cave entrance. "Well, we can't stay here too long. If that spider comes back, it'll find us eventually. Maybe we should try to find the others."

Ito mumbled something without looking up.

"What?" asked Amirpour. "What did you say?"

Ito raised his head and spoke in a quavering voice. "What if nobody else survived?"

There was a pause. Nobody wanted to respond. They sat in silence for nearly a minute. Yuma thought about Keiko and broke down sobbing, hating himself for not being there for her.

Honda contemplated what to do. Lora had promised to send help, but who could say how long that might take?

Amirpour finally broke the silence. "I still think we should go. We either sit around and wait to die here, or we take our chances in the jungle, and I have no interest in giving up."

Honda nodded. "I'm with you. I've seen the dangers out there, but I made it this far. It's not hopeless."

Ito took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, I became a navigator because I wanted to explore. If that's how I go out, so be it. At least it'll be some kind of adventure."

Yuma dried his eyes. "Okay. I'll go, too."

Yamada looked around in disbelief. "You're all crazy! I'm staying right here."

Honda tried to persuade him. "Come on, Koichi! You stowed away to get here, and now you're just going to sit there?"

"Yes."

"Whatever happened to that intrepid reporter I used to know, the one with an indomitable spirit of adventure?"

Yamada grumpily crossed his arms. "He got caught, wrapped up, and almost eaten by a giant spider, and that was enough adventure for him. You're just going to have to leave without me!"

So they did.

"Stubborn asshole," muttered Yuma as they climbed out of the pit, carefully avoiding the webs.

"Forget it," said Honda. "If we find help, we'll come back for him. In the meantime, you're all in for quite a sight."

Amirpour, Yuma, and Ito were blown away by the prehistoric forest. Honda greatly enjoyed pointing out the various creatures she recognized.

"That dinosaur with the spikes is a kentrosaurus! And you see that long-necked mammal with the thick hide? That's paraceratherium, an ancestor of modern rhinos. You'd never guess without the horn, right? Ah, I wish I knew my paleobotany better so I could tell you what all these lovely plants are. Ooh! And that bird is actually a dinosaur called archaeopteryx. And that…thing…I've never actually seen before. Must be a transitional form or a mutant."

Amirpour pointed to a pair of ungulates the size of lapdogs frolicking in a nearby spring. "Aww! What are those adorable little things?"

Honda smiled watching the little creatures play. "Eohippus, a precursor to horses. They were always a favorite of mine!"

Yuma tapped Honda on the arm. "Shh!" he whispered, pointing. "What are those things?"

Honda looked forward and froze in place. The others reacted in kind.

Two jaguar-sized rats squabbled over a kill, grunting and posturing, thirty meters ahead just off the path the human visitors followed. The huge rats had forward-curved horns on their snouts and huge fangs; they also had traits of amphibious creatures, such as gills, webbed digits, and slimy scales beneath their patchy fur.

Honda swallowed nervously. "I don't know what they are, but I suggest we back away slowly."

Just as she spoke, the squabble was decided when one rodent slashed the other's face, drawing a lot of blood. The loser turned to retreat and saw the humans. With a throaty howl, he came bounding toward them.

"Run!" shouted Honda.

The rodent pursued them at a rapid stride, closing the gap between him and his quarry. Honda felt her back stiffening up again and lagged behind a pace. She could hear the vicious carnivore closing in for the kill. Yuma grabbed her hand and hurried her along. While his attention was on the path ahead, Honda turned her head to get their pursuer in her line of sight and used telekinesis to throw him off balance. The rodent lost his footing and rolled straight into a tree, breaking its neck. Honda smirked and silently congratulated herself, but she had little time to appreciate her victory. She sensed an even larger predator approaching.

A huge mantis, the deadly Kamacuras, appeared in the air above them, its wings producing a horrific noise. It was soon joined by two more mantids, all three giving chase. The humans could not outrun them for long, but just as the insects were catching up and preparing to strike, a fight broke out between them. The largest struck the smallest and forced it down to the ground; the midsized one pulled back to get out of the way, allowing their quarry time to get ahead.

Honda tried using telekinesis against the mantids, but they were too large for her. Yuma tugged her arm. "Come on! We have to move!"

While the biggest mantis performed an elaborate threat display to chase the smallest away, the middle one resumed its chase. Honda and company again reached Kumonga's pit and skidded to a stop, seeing its owner had returned and was waiting for them. The spider darted up the slopes and came face to face with the Kamacuras. The humans took to the brush for shelter while the monsters sized each other up. Yuma looked over his shoulder and ran over a strand of web, which wrapped itself around his shin as he fell to the ground. When he cried out, his friends stopped to help him, but the cord was too strong to rip even with their combined strength. Seeing the largest mantis approaching again, Honda feared their time was short. Once again, she closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.

Just as the big mantis touched down, the ground began to tremble from the mighty footfalls of an approaching giant. The insect looked away from its would-be prey to glance behind. Godzilla came thundering through the jungle, bellowing angrily as he advanced. The large mantis flew at him, but the atomic saurian grabbed its outstretched raptorial forelimbs in his hands. The spiked grasping apparati clamped down on Godzilla's arms, but they could not pierce his scaly hide. He swung the insect around, throwing it off of him. It took to the air and dived at him, locking its raptorial limbs around his throat. Godzilla generated an atomic pulse, melting the serrations right off the claws. The mantis retreated in defeat, but Godzilla had no intention of letting it get away alive; he discharged his lethal breath, disintegrating the insect in midair.

The remaining Kamacuras lunged at Kumonga, only for her to grab him and deliver a fatal venomous bite. She then turned her attention to Godzilla, standing with her legs fully erect so that she was nearly his height. He was not at all intimidated by her. He flexed his shoulders, showing off his intimidating musculature and fierce spines. Kumonga reached her hind legs toward her spinnerets and began spinning some web, all the while waving her front two legs angrily at Godzilla while standing erect with the middle four.

Godzilla broke eye contact for a moment to look at Honda and the others to make sure they were alright. His opponent took advantage of his distraction and threw the net she had just spun over him. Godzilla tried to rip the sticky web off, but only managed to wrap it tighter around himself. Kumonga sprang at him and the two monsters collapsed in a heap. The spider attempted to sink her fangs into his chest but could not pierce his thick hide. Instead, she turned her attention to his face. Godzilla pulled his head to the side, barely avoiding a venomous bite to the eye; he slammed his tail against her abdomen, knocking her off balance and breaking her grip on him, but he was still stuck on his back.

Honda tried again to intervene with her telekinesis, concentrating on the spider's hind legs. The monster slipped back a few steps but regained her footing quickly before spinning around to look directly at the humans, rubbing her fangs together. With one last great effort, Yuma was pulled free just as Kumonga charged, but she was yanked backward as Godzilla wrapped his prehensile tail around one of her hind legs. He then used his atomic pulse to melt the webbing off of him and stood up with a defiant bellow. The spider attack again, but Godzilla grabbed her by the chelicerae and slammed her into the ground, tearing both appendages off, then stomped on her head. She writhed in pain and tried to scurry away, but Godzilla did not relent. He pressed down harder with his foot. The top layer of soft earth gave easily. The solid rock underneath did not. Kumonga's life ended not with a bang but with a loud crunch. Godzilla kicked the corpse back into the pit.

As the slain spider hit the rocky floor, Yamada ran screaming from his hiding place. "HELP!" he yelled. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He scrambled up the slope until he came face to face with his fellows and collapsed with a startled cry.

Yuma greeted him with a wry smile. "Didn't we tell you this would be an adventure?"

Everyone had a good chuckle, including Yamada, once he calmed down and realized the danger had passed, at least for the time being. However, they shortly became aware of a foul odor all around them. Honda recognized it as the stench of the yellow fruit. There came a sound of a twigs snapping, and before anyone could react, they were surrounded.

The welcoming committee had arrived.


	5. Infant Island

The Adona warriors were a majestic but intimidating sight, tall and muscular with flowing black hair. They wore leather tunic-like garments which were dyed blue and adorned with overlapping green and yellow handprint patterns. They carried short sabers with bone handles and had throwing knives tucked in their belts.

While his friends looked around in fearful uncertainty, Ito smiled at the natives. He stepped toward their leader, the tall woman he had previously mentioned. She appeared confused to see Ito again, but she eventually returned his smile and bowed her head.

Honda nudged Amirpour and whispered, "Any thoughts?"

"Yes," Amirpour replied. "These natives look similar to the indigenous people of Odo Island. I might be able to communicate with them."

The archaeologist stepped up to the tall woman and bowed her head. The warrior returned the gesture. Amirpour then spoke in a strange tongue. Honda could pick out a few Japonic sounds and Amirpour's own name, but she could not follow the conversation at all; the natives, however, seemed to understand. They were all stunned to hear an outsider speaking like them. Once Amirpour had said her piece, they took a moment to absorb what she had said. The leader threw her head back and laughed; her warriors did the same. Then she stepped forward and threw an arm around Amirpour, cordially slapping her back and saying something to her in a gruff, jolly voice.

Yuma was taken aback. "What are you ladies talking about?"

Amirpour smiled awkwardly. "I just told them we're experts and we're here to meet them, and, uh…she's flattered!"

The woman stepped toward Yuma, looking him up and down. She said something and Amirpour burst out laughing.

Yuma whimpered uncomfortably. "What's going on?"

Amirpour silenced her laughter just long enough to say, "She's never met a blond before! She asked if you're a prince!"

"Oh!" Yuma adjusted his posture to look more alluring despite his drenched pajamas.

Honda rolled her eyes. What a kidder!

"So, tell me," said Yuma, "what's your name?"

Amirpour translated for them both. "She is Daiyo, leader of the warriors of Infant Island."

"Infant Island?" asked Honda. "Is that where we are?"

Again, Amirpour translated. "This is Solgell Island, a far more dangerous place. They saw what happened to the _Orion_ and went to look for us. They're here to take us to safety."

Three natives carrying barrels of the odorous juice approached and began smearing it on the castaways' clothes. Yamada was quite indignant. "What is this? Doc, tell them I went to a lot of trouble to steal this uniform! I don't want it ruined!"

In no time, the newcomers had reached a satisfactory level of stench and the warriors escorted them toward safety. Honda and Ito had already experienced the unpleasant smell of the fruit, so they simply did their best not to breathe it in much, but the other three were completely unprepared for just how nauseating it was; they held their noses firmly and breathed through their mouths.

Ito decided to ask a question. "How did Daiyo and her warriors find us?"

Amirpour took her hand away from her nose to translate the question, then promptly covered it again. Daiyo pointed to Godzilla, then to the stretch of toppled trees he had made in his charge from the sea to answer Honda's call.

Honda chuckled. "I guess he does tend to make a bit of a mess. Say, Amirpour, could you ask Daiyo how many more are in her tribe?"

Amirpour attempted to speak with her nose still covered, but Daiyo could not understand; she took a deep breath, uncovered her nose, rushed out the question, and covered it again. Daiyo answered, and Amirpour, with her free hand, held up two fingers, then five, then four, then five again, indicating the answer to be two hundred and ninety-five.

Ito whistled. "I didn't realize there were that many. What I want to know is-"

Amirpour glared at him and shook her head. As far as she was concerned, there was no question so pressing that it could not wait until they were safe and had been washed clean of the juice.

The sun was starting to sink in the sky when the group arrived on the beach, where catamarans waited, guarded by more warriors. Daiyo gestured toward the boats, everyone took a seat, and they were on their way, sailing toward a huge island at least five kilometers away yet so big that the distance looked like nothing. Godzilla swam parallel to the boats, staying just far enough away that he could act in time to protect them if need be without fear of swamping them if he made a sudden move.

With the threat of monster attacks less likely now, Honda once again felt free to drink in her surroundings. She had been working on another new power in addition to telekinesis and telepathy: the ability to perceive objects and entities in an environment beyond the scope of her senses. She closed her eyes and trailed her hand through the water; with enough concentration, she could see everything that moved beneath the waves as though she herself was swimming amongst the creatures.

Honda wished everyone else could see them, too, for they were as diverse and magnificent as the beasts of the Solgell jungle; as with the terrestrial fauna, the Adona sea life was a mixture of modern animals, living fossils, and beings Honda had never imagined. She recognized liopleurodon, placoderms, giant octopi, elasmosaurs, and a variety of whales, but one particular creature caught her attention. It looked like a sauropod, even larger than the plumed one she had seen on land, walking on the seafloor; its neck was long enough that it could raise its head to the surface for a breath, even from so far down. Surprisingly, its feet had long, webbed toes, and its mouth had a combination of flat teeth for munching plants and needle-like teeth for catching prey underwater. Honda relished the thought that this could be a missing link between sauropods and plesiosaurs. Honda decided the creature needed a name, and came up with Saurobehemoth.

Honda opened her eyes and looked down into the water. She could see the foul juice mixing with the water while bits of pulp remained on the surface. Suddenly, a shadow fell over the boats. She looked up and saw something plummeting toward them from the sky. Daiyo cried out, "Soran! Soran!"

Detecting the incoming threat, Godzilla reared up and fired his beam into the sky. The winged monster – a toothed, long-tailed pterosaur with gold and crimson plumage – pulled up at the last moment and disappeared into the sky. Honda feared he would be back soon; being so high above, he did not smell the juice that was meant to deter him. Sure enough, Soran reappeared seconds later, diving at angle to strike Godzilla from behind. Honda had barely enough time to warn Godzilla, and he no time to react, before the two monsters collided.

The resulting wave washed those not hanging on tightly overboard, including Honda. She accidentally swallowed a mouthful of bitter juice and salt water, causing her to gag and heave. As the water thrashed and churned around her, she could not tell which way the surface was. She gave up trying to find it by sight; closing her eyes, she reached out with her mind to find the direction of the catamarans and swam toward them. Arms reached out and pulled her back into the boat.

Soran had gravely overestimated his chances against Godzilla, who was overpowering him with ease. Realizing his mistake, the feathered reptile wriggled free and zipped away, driven to greater speed by a warning shot from Godzilla.

With the battle over, Daiyo stood up and did a headcount. All five outsiders were accounted for – although Ito had taken a bad spill and twisted his ankle – but one of her warriors was missing. Daiyo looked out over the waters, desperately calling his name, but no answer came.

Honda coughed up the liquid she had swallowed, then sat shivering in her freshly dampened kimono. The spell of Adona's natural beauty had once again been broken. The fight with Soran may have been over quickly, but it proved that nobody was ever truly safe for long in this archipelago of monsters. Honda wondered what had become of the other members of the expedition. Had they all perished at sea? Were they eaten by monsters? Or were there many more alive and well?

* * *

Major Clarke was alive, though to say he was well would be too generous an appraisal. As the sun headed west and the sky turned orange, Clarke sat on a log at the edge of the tree line, looking out over the sandy beach of another island. He and six surviving members of his squad had erected a makeshift camp and salvaged as much as they could from the _Orion_ , which lay half submerged just offshore. Two men in a lifeboat made trips back and forth bringing supplies from the ship; another sat nearby, carefully writing something in the pages of a notebook which he had dried over the fire, leaving the pages slightly brittle; a fourth sat on the opposite side of the fire, cooking something in a pot; five and six kept guard, one on either side of camp, while Clarke sat twirling his bowie knife, deep in thought.

A rustling of bushes alerted the forest-side guard to something approaching camp. "Halt!" he shouted. "Identify yourself!"

"Doctor Masson!" came the reply. The French chemist stepped out from the forest; he kept his arms raised until he was fully in view, then lowered them slowly. "Thank God there's more of you!"

Clarke caught his knife by the handle and held it tight for a moment. "Are you alone?"

Masson pointed toward a point in the forest behind him and to his left. "Two more – Immerman and DeGracia – in a cave, about half a kilometer that way. I decided to search around and saw your fire."

"Have you seen anyone else?"

Masson shook his head sadly. "Only those two, and you men. I hate to imagine how many we lost."

Clarke resumed twirling his knife. "Rex, you got a body count?"

The soldier with the notebook stopped writing and turned back a page, running his finger across a few rows of tally marks. "Initial count: eighty-seven, with twenty-eight civilians and a crew of fifty-nine. Actually, make that eighty-eight; I forgot the stowaway. Seven crew confirmed alive. Thirty-three confirmed dead; twenty-one found trapped inside the ship, another twelve washed ashore. Sixteen civilians have been confirmed dead, as well."

Masson shuddered. "How dreadful! So, does that make me the first civilian you've found alive?"

Clarke stopped twirling the knife again. "Rex, what was that civilian death count again?"

"Sixteen civilian."

Clarke stood up, knife in hand. "That leaves no more than eleven civilians alive."

Masson counted on his fingers. "That's, uh, twelve, actually. Twenty-eight minus sixteen is URRRRGH!"

Clarke watched Masson collapse dead, then retrieved the knife from his throat. "Eleven," he grunted.

The two salvagers returned with a large metal crate. "Major," said one of them, "I think we found it."

Clarke inspected the crate; there was a keylock but no key in sight, so he grabbed a pipe wrench from the recovered tools and smashed it. A sinister grin crossed his face as he opened the crate and saw what was inside. "Perfect!"

He reached in and pulled out two objects: a short, oddly-shaped rifle that looked more like a vacuum gun, with a wide, silver barrel and no visible magazine, and a black metal box with straps attached and a radiation warning sign on the back. Clarke strapped the black box onto his back and hooked it up to the gun's handle via a thick wire shielded with low-conductivity metal bands. He pressed a button atop the scope and held it for five seconds, then released; the black box began to hum and a soft, red glow formed at the end of the gun's barrel. He aimed at Masson's body and pulled the trigger; there was a flash of light, and the corpse was instantly burned to a crisp.

Clarke turned the device off again temporarily and turned his gaze to the direction Masson had pointed in, muttering, "And soon, we'll be down to nine."

* * *

The catamarans landed on the shores of Infant Island with the day's last rays of light. The island appeared completely desolate. There was no greenery in sight, and a ring of foreboding mountains obscured everything beyond the shoreline.

Daiyo beckoned for all to exit the catamarans. One of her tallest and strongest men picked up the injured Ito and carried him on his back. Honda looked to Godzilla, but he did not follow; instead he remained in deep water. "What is it?" she asked him. "Where are you going?"

 _I cannot come ashore here. It is forbidden._

"Forbidden?"

 _They will explain. Go. I need to rest, anyway._

Godzilla slipped quietly beneath the waves and fell asleep. His long journey from Iwato to the Adonas, coupled with the effect of Gezora's freezing attack on his energy reserves, left him exhausted. Honda was more befuddled than ever, but the answers were near; she could feel it! And so, she followed Daiyo and the others.

The group tread carefully as they traversed a series of narrow pathways through the mountains. It was soon quite dark and hard to see more than two meters ahead. Eventually they came to a foothill they could not get around; Daiyo began climbing and motioned for the others to follow suit. As they climbed, Honda trembled in anticipation, but she was completely unprepared for what she would see when they reached the top.

A twelve-layered step pyramid loomed nearly two hundred meters high, illuminated by braziers at each corner of every step. The structure appeared not to have been built but carved from a single gigantic formation of blue granite. Atop the pyramid rested an enormous, beautiful moth. It had a white body and head, turquoise eyes, and wings with black, yellow, and red patterns. The moth looked at the newcomers and cooed peacefully.

Daiyo led them down the slope into the valley of the pyramid. Waiting for them were the entire tribe, clothed in numerous varieties of colorful garments, many decorated with great plumage. Five women in green silk robes with yellow feathers in their hair approached the outsiders with bowls of a steaming, pungent concoction.

Ito winced as the man carrying him set him down to let him lean on his shoulder, then winced again upon recognizing what was in the bowls. "Not this stuff again…"

When handed his bowl, Yuma stared into it, captivated, even as the others forced their soup down with obvious displeasure. Daiyo came up to Yuma and pointed first to the bowl, then to his mouth, uttering a short word that he took to mean, "Drink." He complied, and while upon tasting he sympathized with his friends' disgust, his mind was entirely on the possibilities this concoction might hold for his research, provided the theory was true.

As the green-robed women took the empty bowls away, Daiyo addressed her guests.

"She welcomes us," said Amirpour, "to the Temple of Mothra, the Spirit of the Earth."

The great, beautiful moth again cooed to them.

"Mothra has deemed us worthy to enter their home, and so they welcome us with good will. They offer us shelter, food, and fresh clothes. They will tell us more later."

Two women and three men in simple brown tunics led the visitors into the bottom floor of the pyramid. Once inside, each native led one guest of the same gender into a separate room with an empty tub carved into the floor.

Honda's partner tugged at her own tunic and pointed to the tub, signaling that Honda should disrobe and enter. Once she was in, the native pulled a lever on the wall; gradually the tub filled with hot water. She then sprinkled a sweet-smelling liquid and scented herbs into the water; while Honda scrubbed herself, the native sat on the edge of the tub behind her and scrubbed her back. When finished, Honda smelled cleaner than she could remember every smelling before; whether or not that was just because she had reeked of sweat and brine for the whole day, the scent from the bath was undeniably delightful. Finally, she was given a robe of silvery silk that pulled the excess moisture from her body yet remained soft and light, and fresh bandages were applied to the gashes on her hands.

Honda was reunited with her friends on the second story, where the natives had prepared a huge meal to welcome them. There were roots, tubers, fruits, and a sweet citrus and berry juice, but the highlight was a slab of smoked meat topped with a crumble of tangy peppers and herbs. Daiyo explained that it was the flesh of a "mighty lizard." Honda had always loved dinosaurs, but she never expected to _eat_ one!

As they ate, Amirpour relayed to her friends the history of the natives as told by Daiyo.

"This pyramid was built by these people's ancestors. They belonged to a religion that worshipped beings called the Wise Ones, who taught them to harness the power of the Earth itself. However, the tribe's leaders became slaves to their own power and nearly destroyed their civilization; those who remained swore off the use of magic, and this temple of worship was converted into a home for the tribe. Infant Island is safe from monster attacks, especially when they have Mothra to defend them, but even though the underground springs offer fresh water to spare, there isn't much food. They have to venture to the other islands to get nourishment. Most of the tribe look up to Daiyo as a leader because she leads the hunts, but their true leaders are the Wise Ones."

Honda asked, "Where are these Wise Ones?"

"They appear only to those they deem worthy, and thus far none outside the tribe have been."

It was not quite the answer Honda wanted, but she was nevertheless putting together a picture. Perhaps Lora could shed some light on the situation…

Yamada's journalistic curiosity took him down his own line of questioning. "So, does that mean these people _have_ encountered others outside the tribe before?"

Amirpour relayed Daiyo's answer with some surprise. "Yes. The tribe encounters castaways, explorers and the like a few times a century. Before Ito's crew came along, their last run-in was with soldiers about twenty years ago."

Yamada reflexively reached into the chest of his robe for his pen and notebook, but they were not there. Disappointed, he nevertheless continued. "Well, how did that work out?"

"The soldiers never came face to face with the natives, but they did have a nasty run-in with the local wildlife and took off as soon as they could. A few years later, they saw…er, well, it sounds like they saw planes circling the islands! I guess they were surveying the area."

Yuma nervously swallowed a mouthful of the spiced dinosaur meat. "So they knew about this place after all."

"Who?" asked Ito, prodding at the poultice a native medicine man had placed on his ankle. "Who knew?"

Yuma replied, "If I had to guess, I'd say the soldiers they saw were Japanese, and when the US was pouring through Japan's military records after the war, they found out about it and sent planes to check it out." He picked up his bowl of fruit juice in one hand and swirled it pensively. "Maybe that's why they nuked this place, to kill those beasts. But all they did was displace those that could fly or swim away. Isn't that ironic?" He gulped down the juice and looked at the bottom of the bowl. "Hmm…Doctor Amirpour, could you ask Daiyo to tell us a little more about that stuff they made us drink before?"

Amirpour and Daiyo conferred for a few moments. "They make it from mold to keep the sickness away. That seems to confirm Clarke's hypothesis. The people here still get sick from time to time; the hunters have to bring some mold back with them every time they go out. The mold is plentiful on the other islands and keeps everything healthy there. Say, why would this area still be so radioactive after most of a decade?"

Yuma scratched his chin. "That's a good question. My guess is they designed a nuclear device with more unstable material to generate longer-lasting radionuclides. That residual radiation would linger for years instead of days, ensuring the islands remained uninhabitable."

Honda shuddered. "No wonder they were so secretive. This wasn't some random oversight. They went out of their way to destroy this place only to find out there were people here. Adam, I wasn't going to say anything, but I have a bad feeling about this operation. I think Major Clarke was under orders to cover all of this up."

Yuma looked down, unsure of what to say. "I hope you're wrong, but…Clarke's definitely not the man I knew twenty years ago."

Amirpour was surprised. "Doctor Yuma, you worked with the Major?"

"Yes. I was in his unit during the war."

"Do you know what he's been up to since then?"

Yuma shrugged. "He said he's in defense intelligence now. That's all I know. Until a few days ago, we hadn't spoken since I left the army to work in Hiroshima."

Honda remembered what she had picked up in Clarke's mind. "Adam, does the word 'Seatopia' have any significance to you?"

He shook his head, but Amirpour raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Seatopia?" she said. "The mythical undersea kingdom?"

Honda scratched her chin pensively. "Undersea kingdom, eh? What else do you know about it?"

"Not much. It's a fairly obscure reference. Where did you even hear it?"

Honda was suddenly flustered. "I, uh…I overheard Major Clarke use that word…talking to…um…someone…"

Amirpour gave her a questioning look. Honda nervously averted her gaze.

Yamada could not suppress his natural curiosity and speculative tendency. "Hey! Do you think he was talking about this place? Or maybe it's a codename for something, like-"

Ito cut him off. "Mister Yamada, I admire your ambition, but maybe give that crap a rest for tonight?"

Yuma sighed. "If it is code for something, it's after my time."

Honda looked down at her food in silence, waiting for the subject to change. She once again feared she had blown her cover, this time without even using her powers.

* * *

Meanwhile, four more scientists – Grimaldi, Tremayne, Choi, and Adlakha – sat around their fire in a small clearing, shivering and itching in their salt water-soaked clothes. None of them spoke; they were hungry, cold, and scared.

The sound of running footsteps stirred them from their grim silence. DeGracia, the Brazilian biologist, ran into their midst. His face, chest, and left arm were covered in burns. Gasping for air, he barely managed to wheeze out a single word: "RUN!"

No sooner had the other four scientists sprang to their feet to flee than a sound of machine gun fire filled the forest and DeGracia was cut down by bullets. Tremayne took a bullet to the thigh and fell to the ground as the others sprinted away. "Wait!" he cried. "Don't leave me!" A second hail of bullets ripped into his back, fatally wounding him.

Choi, once she was sure he was out of sight from the camp, attempted to scale a tall tree. About five meters up, she slipped and grabbed what she thought was a branch only to find it was the wing of a hairless red bat as big as her. It shrieked in Choi's face, she shrieked back, and instantly a dozen giant bats descended upon her, their gnashing teeth stripping her to the bone in seconds.

Adlakha came across a creek too wide to jump, but saw what looked like a rock or log in the middle and hopped onto it. The object was actually one of the giant gilled rats previously encountered by Honda and company. As Adlakha landed, it grabbed his leg in its jaws and rolled, ripping the limb out of its socket and dropping him face first into the water, where more gilled rats awaited.

Grimaldi skidded to a stop at the edge of a deep ravine. He turned around and saw Clarke and his men standing there. Without a moment's hesitation, Clarke blasted him with the portable heat ray. Grimaldi flailed about as his entire body ignited at once before toppling over the edge, landing in a shallow brook far below.

Clarke watched the burning corpse sizzle out in the warm water. His lieutenant nicknamed "Rex" wrote another tally in his notebook. "That takes us down to five. Major, do you really think we can hunt down the rest before the transport arrives?"

"We don't need to," replied Clarke. "We just need to get rid of anyone who might have seen us after the crash. We do, however, need our old corporal and the monster whisperer alive."


	6. Nirai Kanai

Honda was sleepless once again.

The third floor of the pyramid consisted of a single large chamber where the tribe and their guests slept on individual blankets. The natives seemed to pass out as soon as they laid down, while the other visitors were so exhausted that they were asleep soon, too. Honda, on the other hand, had her mind preoccupied by questions. She had waited long and traveled far to get answers, but fortunately she would not have to wait for long.

She heard a rustling of wings in the air. Another raven-sized moth appeared, this one with pink and black wings. _So, it is you!_ it said. _Please, come with me._

Honda rose and tiptoed out of the chamber. The pink moth flew to the top of the pyramid. Honda looked around to see that nobody was watching, then levitated herself upward. It was a long way up, and as she neared the top, she started to lose her balance. She made it but had a rough landing, nearly tumbling right into the wall. From atop the apex above, Mothra looked down at her quizzically.

 _Your powers are growing stronger,_ said the pink moth, _but you still have much to learn. Enter. We have the answers you have been searching for._

The blue moth appeared by the other's side, and both flew into the enclosed chamber below the apex. There was only one entrance, a narrow door, and just above it was the square cross Honda had seen in her visions. At that point she realized that she had truly reached her destination. Her hands trembled. Her legs felt like jelly. Her breaths were deep and heavy. She tread gently into the chamber.

In the center of the room was a stone dais, at the foot of which sat a small brazier burning wood and some kind of incense; there was no visible smoke, but the chamber was filled with soft yellow light and a sweet aroma. The moths fluttered around for a moment before landing on the dais and transforming. To Honda's astonishment, both insects took on a human form, but remained at their small size. They each wore a robe that matched the color of their wings in moth form, adorned with elaborate silver and gold jewelry, plus a crown adorned with a white gemstone and plumes to match their robes, and a white silk cape. Each carried a platinum staff dotted with tiny gemstones of every color.

The fairy in pink solemnly bowed her head. "I am Mona," she said aloud.

The fairy in blue giggled and broke into a beaming smile as she curtsied. "And I am Lora, but you already knew that!"

Honda dropped to both knees and bowed. "Are you the three they call the Wise Ones?"

Mona answered, "We have been called many names throughout history – the Wise Ones, the Airenas, the Elias, the Cosmos, and many more you could never pronounce. We are beings born from the energy of the Earth itself, and we can harness that energy to do what you might call magic."

Lora lifted a corner of her cape, which transformed back into moth's wings.

Honda could scarcely find the words. "That's…that's…wow! Are there others like you?"

Lora opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated and looked at Mona, who shook her head. Lora cast her gaze downward, dejectedly, and let Mona do the talking. "We are the only two. Ah, but you didn't come all this way to hear about us, did you? You must want to know about that 'You're not of this world' line that computer gave you!"

"Yes, I-wait, you knew about that?"

Mona grinned and tapped the side of her head. _Telepathy_ , she said silently.

"Oh, right!" Honda chuckled embarrassedly.

Lora chuckled and reassured her, "No need to be bashful! It's a lot to take in and we haven't even started!"

The blue fairy pointed her staff toward the brazier. The fire within swirled and grew, changing from soft yellow to brilliant white, casting its revealing glow upon the chamber wall to Honda's right. The stones were painted with images of human figures at the foot of the pyramid, hands raised high toward yellow stars overhead.

Lora began. "Long ago, there was a different human civilization that lived among these islands. They revered and adored us, and because they were a good people in heart and mind, we taught them how to harness the Earth's energy for their own use. Soon their powers were almost as great as ours, and they became something more than human. They called themselves Nirai Kanai."

Honda softly murmured to herself, "Nirai Kanai! It _is_ real!"

"Indeed! They helped us turn these islands into a place of plenty. The sheer power of the Earth's life force became so great that life flourished as it never had anywhere else before, hence the many strange and wondrous creatures you have seen here."

The beam of light moved on to the section directly in front of Honda, painted with humanoid figures of many colors.

"Eventually, the Nirai Kanai made contact with beings from other worlds across the universe: Alpha Centauri, Nebula M-78, the Kilaak System, and even our neighbor planet, Mars! These beings traveled to and from Earth, the Nirai Kanai to and from their worlds, and a great exchange of scientific, technological, and spiritual advances took place."

The wall to Honda's left showed many strange and varied creatures.

"The people of Nirai Kanai combined their mystical powers from the Earth with the science of other worlds. They further altered their own essence until they were barely human at all, and they reshaped life as they saw fit, creating new, beautiful, and…and…"

As Lora's voice trailed off, Mona stepped in, speaking more sternly. "New and, at times, monstrous things. Things that should never have existed at all."

The light shifted again. Honda stood and turned to view the painting on the wall behind her. The pyramid lay in ruins at the feet of a horned green dragon with red eyes, while the human figures scattered away in all directions.

Mona explained, "The Nirai Kanai made new lifeforms to serve every purpose: beasts of burden, creatures to transport them across the stars, any companion animal their imagination could conceive of. But over time, they and their alien allies became divided. There were legitimate grievances as well as petty squabbles. Fearing conflict, the Nirai Kanai created monsters for war-fighting. We assured them this was not necessary, that they had Mothra to defend the Earth, but they ignored our warning. One of these monsters was Dagara, the dragon you see in the painting. Unlike the others, which were made primarily to guard their home against invasion, Dagara was himself designed for invasions of other worlds. He could drain all life from the environment around him; not only could he wipe out an entire planet, he could render it uninhabitable for all time. He knew only one thing: destruction. And great destruction did he cause, turning against his masters in a blind rage."

The brazier's flame returned to its natural color, leaving most of the chamber in shadow again.

Mona finished the story. "Mothra defeated and imprisoned Dagara, but not before most of the Nirai Kanai were slain and this island was depleted of life. Nothing has grown here since. Some of the survivors fled to the outside world or abandoned Earth entirely to take up residence elsewhere in the universe. The rest remained here but swore off the use of magic or alien technology. The people of Infant Island are their descendants, but over thousands of generations, they lost their powers."

Honda was stunned. She had not known what to expect, but this was unlike anything she could have imagined. "What a fantastic story! But what does any of it have to do with me?"

Lora became excited again. "Why, don't you see? You, Doctor, are a descendant of the Nirai Kanai who left Infant Island after the fall of their civilization."

"Me? But that can't be! I had a normal life – normal parents, normal childhood, normal job – and I never had these powers until…"

"Until," Mona interjected, "you met him. Godzilla. He sensed the powers that lay dormant inside you, and when he bonded with you, they were awakened."

"How? Do you mean…? Was he…?"

Mona nodded. "One of the Nirai Kanai experiments. That is why he is forbidden from coming ashore here. The people of this island have renounced the old ways. They regard him as an abomination…and, while I hate to say it, they might feel the same way about you, if they knew about your powers."

"But you don't, right?"

"Of course not!" said Lora. "We've seen the goodness in you both. You have fought to protect your people rather than using your powers for your own gain."

Mona stepped forward with a frown. "But we've also seen the horrors your people still unleash upon the world. Mothra's power and ours made this archipelago the most fertile place on Earth, hence why life here comes in every shape and size. Dagara nearly ended that, and many creatures that once lived here died or were forced to flee, like your Rodan. Then, thousands of years later, your leaders saw fit to unleash their most powerful weapons upon us. Mothra has nearly exhausted her power keeping these islands alive; we were able to help by creating the healing mold, but when Mothra dies, and she soon will, these islands will be overwhelmed. And in the meantime, those dangerous beasts have left to roam and terrorize the world. I won't call it punishment, but I won't deny that you brought it upon yourselves!"

Honda was in disbelief. She had hoped the Wise Ones would be more accepting and encouraging. "But what about me?" she asked. "My powers are getting stronger and I can't control them! I have these vivid dreams and everything shakes, and sometimes I hurt people by mistake or-"

Mona struck her staff upon the dais below her. Even though the staff was as small as a chopstick, it made a sonorous BOOM! like a shotgun blast inside a silo. Honda felt as though the air had been sucked from her chest, and she fell backwards, bumping against the wall behind her.

"That's enough," said Mona, quietly but sternly. "You came here to find out what you are. Now you know. Go back to your people and do what you will, but you won't get anything else from us."

Mortified, Honda looked to Lora for reassurance, but the blue fairy kept her gaze toward the floor. The young doctor left the chamber in dejection and began her long walk down the pyramid stairs in lonely silence. She had finally learned the truth, and instead of joy, it brought her shame.

* * *

Clarke and his squad were on the move before dawn after only a few hours' sleep. They pushed deeper into the forest in search of their two targets, keeping an eye out for anything that moved. As the first rays of sun peaked through the treetops, they came across the remains of a camp. There was a burnt-out fire ring made with rocks, plus the scattered bones of small animals that had been cooked, several castoff naval uniforms, and a perimeter made from dried twigs that snapped loudly when trod on.

Rex looked over the abandoned site. "Looks like anywhere from five to a dozen servicemen were camped out here."

Clarke nodded in agreement. "Could be some of ours with them. Let's try to find them."

With a brief inspection of the area, the troops found footprints in the mud and followed them. The prints led them to a grove of blood-sucking vines holding nine servicemen aloft. One of them was dropped to the ground dead just as Clarke's squad arrived on the scene. Three more had passed out from blood loss, and another five, still barely conscious, feebly reached their hands toward the others below and moaned.

Rex scaled one of the overhanging trees to get a closer look at them. "Major," he called down, "we've got Sergeant Fein up here!"

"See if you can cut him down."

Rex crawled along the wide branch from which the vines were suspended and slashed at them with a knife. The tendrils coiled up in response, dropping the half-conscious Fein into the arms of his mates below. Clarke looked him over carefully, evaluating his condition; then, with a disappointed shake of his head, he pulled out his sidearm and shot Fein between the eyes. The two startled men holding him up dropped his body and staggered back.

"What?" snorted the Major. "Would you prefer I let him die slowly of exsanguination?" As another corpse hit the ground, Clarke looked up at the remaining victims. "We'll leave the rest. They're not in on it, and they're all blacking out, anyway."

A corporal named Riley patted down Fein's body and found a radio. He turned it on and a garbled signal came through. "Major!" said Riley, holding the radio aloft.

Clarke sighed in relief. "Perfect! Try to find our frequency."

"Major Clarke!" shouted Rex from the branches. "Something up here you should see, sir!"

Clarke took off his power pack and climbed. From high in the branches, he could see a wide valley beyond, wherein there sat a five-tiered pyramid. On each side, facing out in the cardinal directions, were four towering gargoyles.

"My god!" muttered Clarke. "Let's go, boys. I gotta get a closer look at this!"

* * *

Honda barely slept before waking and finding herself unable to get back to sleep. Once the sky changed from black to indigo, she went to the east ledge of the tier to watch the sunrise. After a while, Lora appeared and sat by her side. "Doctor Honda," said the fairy, "what's on your mind?"

Honda sighed resignedly. "I just feel like…this is it. I've spent months pondering, and traveled halfway across the ocean to find out who I am. And now that I know…well…" She turned her face away, wiping away a tear. "Now that I know, I wish I didn't."

"But why?"

"I just…I thought there'd be some kind of greater significance, some glory or pride in the truth." She looked back at Lora with a bittersweet smile. "I'm sure it sounds silly, but for a while, I entertained the idea that I could be an angel or a goddess or something. Instead, I'm just a leftover of some failed cosmic experiment. My ancestors were destroyed by their own ambitions, and my big friend? Just one of their lab rats. We're fossils, relics, like everything else in these islands. We're nothing."

"No!" Lora transformed her cape into wings and floated up to Honda's eye level. "You mustn't think like that! Nobody is ever nothing!"

"Mona stopped just short of calling me a freak, and she said we humans can't be trusted with power. I wish I could disagree."

Lora sighed. "Mona wasn't always this way. Long ago, when Nirai Kanai was flourishing, she supported their efforts fully and encouraged them to expand their powers and create new life. Back then, we had a third sister, Belvera; she loved humans, but feared they would destroy themselves and the world with them, but Mona and I encouraged them. Then they created Dagara, and we watched him lay waste to everything we loved. Once it was all over, Belvera was one of those who left Earth. She resented humanity for what they had done, and I think she resented us, too. Mona remembers how hurt Belvera was and how hard it was to see her go. That's why she's wary of another human with powers. Please try to understand. It's not because of you."

"Wow. I can imagine the sting that must have left. Thanks for the reassurance."

"Kumi? Kumi, are you talking to someone?"

Lora transformed back to a moth in a flash as Yuma emerged from the sleeping chamber.

Honda looked from her friend to Lora and back. "Uh, hey, Adam! Isn't this a pretty moth?"

Yuma gasped and smiled. "Awww! What a cute little thing!" He bent down and held out his hand, palm up. Lora obligingly flew to it. "I've never seen one this big before. Is it an Atlas moth?"

"No. They don't have mandibles like those. Actually, _most_ moths don't. Better be careful that she doesn't bite ya!"

"Ooh!" Yuma wiggled his hand and Lora flew away. "Geez, even the pretty things around here are creepy. Is anyone else up yet?"

"Just you and me, I think." Honda yawned. "Actually, I could stand to catch a few more z's."

Yuma sat down and put an arm over her shoulder. "Something's been troubling you."

"Yeah. This whole crazy adventure…"

"No, no. You were on medical leave before the mission began. Then that incident on the docks got you all shook up, and last night you seemed like you were hiding something at dinner. Won't you tell me what's going on?"

Honda watched the sun appear over the mountains. She contemplated for a moment before coming to a decision. "Let me sleep for a while longer," she said, closing her eyes. "I'll tell you all about it when I wake up."

* * *

Clarke stared upward and whistled, awed by the temple gargoyles, which stood taller than ten men standing atop one another. Behind them was a moat of dark, churning water that went all the way to the edge of the pyramid; it was hard to see how deep the water was or whether there was anything under the surface.

Rex pointed to the top of the pyramid. "Do you see that?"

The flat apex had a raised platform, upon which sat a round object that glistened in the sunlight. Clarke motioned to a tall private. "Siegel! Swim across and check it out."

The private took off his shirt and boots, then walked to the edge of the moat and tested the water with his foot, but jumped back with a loud, "Gah!"

Clarke scoffed. "Scared of a little cold water, Private?"

"No, sir! Look!"

A red starfish covered in yellow pustules floated to the surface.

"Oh, no," said Clarke sarcastically. "How horrifying."

One of the other troops shot the starfish. The creature sank back down, leaving a trail of cloudy fluid that hissed and bubbled in the water.

Siegel nervously stepped up to the edge of the moat again. Another starfish appeared, and before another shot could be fired, it flexed a limb and popped one of its pustules, sending a jet of the white slime onto Siegel's arm. He jumped back with a cry as his flesh erupted in bloody boils.

Watching the boils spread up Siegel's arm, Clarke realized the toxin was racing toward his heart; quickly he put his ray gun on a low setting and blasted the limb off just below the shoulder. Siegel fell to his knees, hissing in pain, and palmed at the cauterized stump with his remaining hand. Rex looked him over to confirm that the acid effects had stopped.

"Don't worry about the arm," said Rex. "I'm sure Mister Arkoff will build you a bionic replacement." He looked up toward the top of the pyramid. "Those creatures must be guarding whatever is up there. Could be something valuable."

"I have an idea," said Clarke. He waved for everyone to step away from the water, then increased the power on his ray gun and fired at one of the gargoyles near its base, blasting out a large portion of stone. The statue cracked and fell backward; the head hit the side of the pyramid, while the bottom became lodged against the remaining base, creating a bridge that spanned the width of the moat.

At a nod from Clarke, Rex hopped onto the base and ran across the length of the toppled statue to the pyramid. When he reached the top, he saw embedded in the raised platform a golden circle, like a large coin, engraved with the Mothra cross. Not recognizing the significance of the symbol, Rex used his knife to gently pry it from its slot and examined it.

"What is it?" asked Clarke.

Rex shrugged and stuffed the piece of gold in his pants pocket. "Just some trinket from the looks of it."

As he prepared to walk back across the statue, the ground shook beneath their feet. More mutant starfish surfaced, squirming as they made ready to unleash their acid puss. Clarke fired his ray into the water, boiling the creatures alive, while Rex dashed across the makeshift bridge to safety.

Clarke held out his hand. "Let me see it."

Rex handed him the gold coin.

"Well, I'll be damned! Wonder if there's any more like this around here. Come on, boys. Let's get going."

As they left the site, Corporal Riley started toying with the radio again. Soon he called out excitedly, "Major Clarke! Hey, Major! I got a signal!"

Clarke grabbed the radio from him and spoke into it. "Major Clarke to _Helios_. Major Clarke to _Helios_. Come in, _Helios_. Do you copy?"

There was a brief delay, followed by a response. _"Affirmative, Major. This is_ Helios _. Glad to hear you. Over."_

"Same to you. Home in on our signal and pick us up. We'll signal you. Over."

" _Copy that. Keep the line open. We're on our way. Over."_

Clarke grinned at his troops. "Hear that? They're on their way."

The squad shared a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the ground shook again – only for a second, but hard enough this time to knock everyone off their feet. As Rex hoisted himself back up, he looked behind and noticed long cracks in the pyramid and remaining statues.

Clarke stood up and checked his power pack for damage. "Alright, kiddos, let's move! I'm not hanging around this cursed spot one minute longer than I have to!"

* * *

The tremor was felt across all of the islands, causing every living thing to shudder in alarm. Godzilla, roused from his slumber on the seafloor, shot to the surface and looked toward the epicenter. Immediately, he was hit by an overpowering wave of psychic energy. Something had been awakened – something familiar, and something hungry! Godzilla ducked his head and sped toward the island, fearing a hard fight.

Honda felt the energy surge in her sleep and awoke with a gasp. She felt the same voracious presence and was filled with fright; even upon awakening, the image of the red-eyed dragon remained before her eyes. However, before she could process what was going on, she heard screams. The sleeping chamber rang with the pained cries of the islanders, while by her side, Yuma held both hands over his temples and moaned, "Auuugghh, make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

To Honda's horror, she realized that she had accidentally sent out a psychic wave of her own again, and again it was hurting everyone in range. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The strange being's psychic event had passed, and once she was calm again, so did hers.

Yuma groaned as he took his hands away from his head and tried to stand up. "What the hell was that? It felt like my brain was on fire! WHOA!"

The tremor arrived with such force that Yuma and Honda went tumbling down the stairs. Fortunately, they were only on the second floor and did not have far to fall, but they were nonetheless dazed and sore when they reached the ground.

The islanders poured down the stairs, frantically waving their hands and shouting. Ito and Yamada came running behind them, both of them scared and bewildered, babbling away incoherently. Honda looked around for Amirpour, but she was nowhere in sight. Yuma panicked and started hyperventilating. "What…the HELL…is…h-h-hap…happening?"

Mothra flapped her wings and flew from her perch. Honda put two and two together. _Oh, no!_ she thought. _Godzilla! Are you there?_

The reply came, _I felt it! I'm going!_

Honda stood up and ran toward the rocks, back in the direction of the beach. Yuma gave chase, all the while yelling, "Wait! Kumi, where are you going? Kumi, wait for me!"

Meanwhile, from the top chamber of the pyramid, Lora fretfully watched Mothra fly away. "She's heading for Barem Island!"

"Yes," said Mona. "Can't you feel it? Dagara has been awakened."

"But why now?"

Mona clenched her fists. "Isn't it obvious? This is the work of the outsiders. They must have removed the seal."

Lora fell to her knees, sobbing, "Oh, how dreadful! Mothra is so old and weak, she won't stand a chance!"

"No," said Mona, "but her heir might."

* * *

Honda was lost in the maze of rock, but she refused to admit it. She turned this way and that, sending herself down the same few paths over and over. Yuma, after losing track of her, almost crashed headlong into her as they each rounded a bend.

"Kumi!" he yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "Where do you think you're going? What's going on?"

"Adam, listen, something very big and very angry just showed up! There's going to be one hell of a fight and I need to see it! Let's go!"

Yuma tightened his grip. "That's not all, is it? I know you're hiding something from me! TELL ME!"

Honda swallowed hard. "Fine. I'll tell you." She looked around at the rocks until she figured out which general direction she wanted to go in. "Better yet, I'll show you!"

She put her hands under his armpits and used her telekinesis to raise them both into the air, floating over the rocks toward the sea. Yuma stared down at the ground in disbelief and held on for dear life. When Honda set them both down on the beach, Yuma let go and fell backward, landing on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry!" said Honda, offering him a hand up. "Are you okay?"

Yuma stared back at her. "How did you do that?"

"It's a long story. We don't have ti-OW!"

Something sharp sank into the back of Honda's neck. She reached around and pulled out a tranquilizer dart. Everything around her blurred together and she staggered sideways before tripping and passing out.

Yuma scrambled to her side. "Kumi! Kumi! Are you alright?"

Rex stepped out from behind a boulder, dart gun in hand. "Hey, there, Corporal," he said, spitting toward Yuma and Honda.

Yuma jumped to his feet and raised his fists, ready for a fight, but stopped when he heard the voice of Major Clarke from a loudspeaker somewhere. "Hold your horses, Yuma! Alright, captain – deactivate the cloaking device!"

An AC-3 airship, the same type as the _Shirasagi_ , materialized on the ground nearby. The ramp opened up and out strolled the Major, pointing his ray gun right at Yuma.

"You and the dinosaur lady are coming with me whether you like it or not!"


	7. Awakening

The Pyramid of Barem cracked and crumbled as a huge fissure opened underneath, swallowing the structure along with the towering gargoyles. An eerie stillness hung over the valley for a minute. No creature stirred. No breeze blew. The sun had just reached its noontime zenith, and so the valley was devoid of shadows, yet a shadow of another kind had fallen over everything.

Then a red mist poured from the fissure, forming a cloud that spread across the valley. Flowers wilted. Trees dried up and cracked to pieces. The rich minerals in the soil were depleted. The animals, no matter how fast they crawled, ran, flew, or tunneled, could not escape the crimson gas. Hair and feathers died at the roots and fell away. Skin shriveled and sloughed off. Flesh and organs were drained of moisture, the bones of their calcium. Not even the tiniest, most resilient of bacterium could survive in such a toxic environment. Within the space of a few minutes, all that once lived was dust, and the once lush, beautiful island was as dead as the surface of the moon.

The brittle valley floor crumbled, and a terrifying beast emerged: Dagara, the red-eyed green dragon of Honda's nightmares. The monster had a stocky build, with a short neck, wide chest, and pudgy legs. On his head were backward-facing horns, and on his back, vast, powerful wings. He was weak from millennia of slumber, but not for long. Wide, fleshy tubes on his shoulders had emitted the crimson cloud, and now they sucked it back in, allowing Dagara to absorb all of the island's nutrients. He lay down to rest while he metabolized this ghastly feast; he would awake in an hour at full strength, ready to terrorize the entire world.

* * *

Lora and Mona stood at the apex of the temple where Mothra usually perched. They faced a cliff on the opposite side of the valley from the path leading in from the beach. Mothra's cross was carved into the cliff face. The Wise Ones reached their hands toward the symbol, which lit up like a star and melted the surrounding rock away, revealing a huge cave, and inside was the white opal from Honda's dream: an egg.

The fairies joined hands and began to sing:

"Mothra, oh, Mothra

If we were to call for help

Over time, over sea

Like a wave, you'd come

Our guardian angel!"

The tribe joined in the ceremony, with many performing an elaborate dance while others pounded drums or blew into reed instruments. The music reverberated between the mountains until it became an all-encompassing roar.

* * *

The elderly Mothra was not as fast or strong as she had once been, but she was determined to put an end to Dagara's carnage. She sensed Godzilla swimming below her, heading in the same direction. The two of them had a brief psychic exchange.

 _So, Godzilla, you've returned to the islands once again._

 _Yes. Has the Burtannus egg Rodan brought here hatched yet?_

 _It has. Her mother would be grateful to you._

 _The Wise Ones are not so grateful. They do not want me here._

 _You have found your purpose in this world. I have been too weak to protect it, and you have done a commendable job in my place. Now I have another favor to ask of you._

 _What is it?_

 _If I do not survive this battle, please, ensure that my child does, or the balance of life on this planet could be threatened._

 _I will defend your egg with my life, Mothra._

* * *

Honda's body was subdued, but a part of her mind remained alert. Her physical senses were shut off, so she had to exert her telepathy to discern what was going on around her. She was inside the AC-3's rear compartment, along with Yuma, both of them strapped to their seats so they could not move. Clarke and two other soldiers stood over them. Yuma was awake and going on one hell of a diatribe, but when he finished, Clarke just laughed.

"Well, Corp-sorry, _Doctor_ Yuma! Your theory isn't far off. The US government _did_ know about this place and the monsters. They _did_ use an unstable nuclear device to permanently contaminate the islands. And, yeah, even though the new president and his friends at the UN decided to make a big show out of bringing a bunch of scientists and surveyors here to collect data, the good old boys at intelligence asked me to make sure nothing damning reached the press."

"Aha! I knew you were just another puppet for-"

"A puppet? Never! I don't care if any of this reaches the press. Hey, might even teach those bigwigs a thing or two! Just as long as I keep my own ass covered."

"Oh, really? And what's this Seatopia business? What's that about?"

Clarke hesitated in surprise. "How the hell did…? Huh. Ha! Well, I guess you had to hear about it sooner or later. See, turns out this whole lost civilization thing is big business. These guys who call themselves 'Seekers of Seatopia' or some shit like that have been on the hunt for ancient artifacts for decades, but ever since the UN found and rebuilt that old robot, they've been going crazy! I heard about it from a...well, let's say 'ambitious' acquaintance, and when I heard how much they were willing to pay for that old junk, I decided I wanted in. How about you, eh? Make a little extra dough?"

"Count me out! I'm not interested in exploiting-"

"That's too bad, because I'm under special orders to acquire you, whether you like it or not. Now, if you don't mind, our pilot said he spotted some kind of pyramid, and I want to check it out. You never know what kinds of treasures these natives might be hiding!"

"Clarke, no! Don't hurt those people!"

"You're in no position to make demands of me!" Clarke punched Yuma in the head, hard enough to knock him unconscious. "That's that. Rex, Riley, you stay here with Siegel and keep an eye on these two. I'm taking the rest to check out that pyramid."

Honda was powerless to stop them. The sedative kept her at bay, forcing her to do nothing as Clarke and his cronies disembarked, armed to the teeth, and struck out for the tribe's home, hellbent on killing and plundering.

What she did not see was Clarke, after emerging from the _Helios_ , suffer a coughing fit. He wiped the spittle from his lips on the sleeve of his shirt and saw a conspicuous red stain. He quickly bunched up his sleeve in an attempt to hide the blood. "Alright, boys. Let's go."

* * *

Godzilla and Mothra were horrified to see what had become of Barem Island. The soil and rock were ashen, and the remaining inorganic matter from the forest formed a thin, gauzy substance, giving the island the appearance of a bare skeleton coated in gossamer. Knowing that Dagara would not remain long before consuming another island, they headed for the pyramid.

The red gas had mostly receded, but still obscured the valley from view. Mothra flew over and tried to clear the fumes away by flapping her wings. Godzilla stood at the edge of a cliff, peering through the cloud; as it swirled about, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Dagara, awake and looking straight up at Mothra overhead. The ancient monster's body emitted a purple glow as he charged an energy attack.

A moment later, Dagara was obscured by the red cloud, but Godzilla fired his ray toward where he last saw him. Dagara's beam attack shot out at an angle, barely missing Mothra. With a furious roar, Dagara flew toward the cliff. Godzilla lunged, slamming into the flying beast in midair; the two of them tumbled to the ground together, disappearing back into the red cloud.

Mothra hovered just above the top of the gas layer and flapped her wings, clearing away enough that she could see the result of the tussle. Godzilla lay on his side, gasping and writhing as the poison ate at his flesh and burned his lungs; his healing factor just barely kept pace with the damage. Dagara prepared another energy attack, but Mothra sent out crimson lightning bolts from her wings, burning his back and causing more red gas to emerge from the wounds. Mothra flew out of the way of his counterattack, whereupon Dagara took off after her, sending out more beams.

Godzilla staggered upright and clambered over the cliff, away from the poison cloud. He paused to catch his breath and fully regenerate, but Mothra called to him fearfully. Dagara had scorched one of her wings and she was losing speed. She swooped low over Godzilla's head, and her pursuer followed close behind. Godzilla seized Dagara's tail as he flew by and slammed him against the rocky plateau.

Dagara was back on his feet in a flash. He was nearly as tall on all fours as Godzilla was upright, and about thrice as large overall. Using the size difference to his advantage, he propelled himself forward with his wings and smashed into his opponent like a battering ram. Godzilla was toppled over and penned down. He fired his atomic breath into Dagara's face, only to be met with return fire from the violet ray directly into his eyes. Despite his momentary blindness, he managed to free his hands and get them around Dagara's throat, squeezing with all of his strength. Dagara gagged and pulled away, allowing Godzilla to kick him off and reclaim his feet.

Dagara fell onto his back and struggled to roll over. Godzilla blinked furiously as his vision remained dangerously reduced; knowing he was vulnerable while his eyes recovered, he turned in all directions, clawing at the air and swiping his tail about. Mothra, who had been nursing her singed wing nearby, took off and showered Godzilla with silvery dust that restored his sight and healed his other wounds.

Just as they were both at full strength again, Dagara finally turned over and discharged his poison toward them. Mothra hovered just behind Godzilla's head and used her wings to propel the gas back, while her ally sent out his breath attack. Dagara responded in kind, and their beams met in the middle. For a moment, they each held the other at bay, but Dagara's beam won out and Godzilla tumbled backward, head over heels.

Mothra swerved to avoid being hit by Godzilla as he fell, then sent out her crimson lightning. Dagara dodged and blasted her injured wing again, this time leaving it in tatters. She knew before she hit the ground that she would not be able to get airborne again, so she called out to her ally.

 _Godzilla! This is the end for me._

 _Don't give up yet. We can take him!_

 _No! I'm sorry, but you must continue this fight without me. Please, remember your promise._

Dagara lunged at Mothra, chomping his jaws in anticipation of devouring her life force, but before he could sink his teeth in, her body transformed into a thousand tiny lights that drifted away in all directions. Her spirit had taken leave of her physical form and departed this world.

As Dagara hissed and sneered at the loss of such a unique meal, Godzilla sprang to his feet and threw himself upon the enemy. Dagara took to the sky as Godzilla clung to his tail; once they were over the sea, he released his red gas. Godzilla's muscles grew weak as he again felt the effects of the poison, and after only a few seconds, he lost his grip and plummeted into the dark waters below. Dagara howled victoriously and turned his sights on Infant Island.

* * *

Honda remained unable to interact with her environment. She could sense her captors nearby but not interact with them or move in any way. She tried to probe their minds, but could not concentrate enough to do so.

There was a cry of pain from the adjacent cabin. Riley jumped up just as Siegel came staggering out, clutching his bandaged stump. The wraps were soaked with pus and blood, and he was as white as a sheet.

Then it occurred to her: the soldiers had been on the island for most of two days, soaking in ionizing radiation the entire time, and had yet to partake of the healing soup, so now they were getting sick. Siegel had become anemic, resulting in disorientation, profuse bleeding, and a drop in leukocytes that allowed a massive necrotic infection to set in.

Riley ran to catch his squadmate as he collapsed. Honda felt Siegel's mind go dark as his life was snuffed out. Her moment of shock was interrupted by a CLANG! on the side of the airship.

Rex ran to the cockpit and peered out the window, but saw nothing. "Riley," he called to the back, "get out there and check it out!"

Riley lowered the ramp and stepped outside. The _Helios_ was not in stealth mode, as it was costly on the energy supply. As Riley inspected the hull, he felt a sudden pain in his belly and bent over to retch, bringing up bile mixed with blood. He gasped upon seeing the gory vomit on the ground, but then he noticed a rock the size of a melon that was grey and smooth, unlike the brittle black stone of the beach. Looking above it, just behind the right wing of the ship, Riley saw a small dent.

Just as he pieced together that someone was nearby, a dark-skinned arm wrapped around his throat from behind, while the unseen remaining hand seized his sidearm and held it against his head.

A commanding feminine voice whispered in his ear, "Take me inside."

"In…in…inside where?"

"Your plane, fool." The attacker pressed the pistol harder against his temple. "Now."

Riley nodded and tapped the side of the vessel. "All clear!" he shouted.

The ramp lowered, and Riley entered with the intruder just behind. Rex looked back from the cockpit and saw them both. He grabbed his rifle and fired, but missed and hit Riley in the chest, killing him. The intruder retaliated with four shots in rapid succession, leaving two bullets in both of Rex's arms so that he dropped his rifle to the floor. She then charged and overpowered him, holding his arms from behind.

"Did you drug those scientists?" she shouted. Honda knew when she heard the voice that it was Doctor Amirpour who had come to her rescue.

"Bite me! ARRGGH!"

Amirpour tugged hard on Rex's arms, causing the bullets to sink torturously deeper into his bones.

"Alright! Alright! I'll give you something to revive them with!"

Amirpour released one arm so Rex could raise it feebly and point to a compartment, from which she retrieved a vial of liquid and a hypodermic needle. She filled the syringe and gave a dose to both of her unconscious friends. Honda's head swirled and a thousand lights filled her eyes. She took a deep, hoarse gasp of air as she regained control of her body.

Amirpour left Honda and Yuma to revive and returned to the cockpit to confront Rex again. The lieutenant looked up at her from where she had left him lying on the floor. "Who are you?" he demanded, wincing in pain as she grabbed his arms and hoisted him upright again.

"Saradia Secret Service, Special Agent 9. Sorry, grunt, but your secret boys' club isn't actually so secret."

"I'm no grunt! I'm a lieuten-AUGH!"

Amirpour twisted his arms behind his back. "Listen here, grunt! I'm in no mood for games, so you better show me how to fly this bird, or I'll shoot your legs, too!"

Rex laughed weakly. "Do it! Shoot me anywhere! You need the plane, but you also need me to testify, don't you? Heh! Which is it gonna be, then?"

The plane's ramp suddenly burst open, seemingly of its own accord. Amirpour looked back and saw Honda staggering out onto the beach. "Doctor Honda!" she shouted. "Where are you going?"

Honda said nothing. Once she was outside, she summoned all of her strength and threw herself into the air, flying over the plane and the rocks toward the center of the island. Amirpour and Rex gasped together as she soared through the sky. Yuma stumbled, half conscious, into the cockpit and looked at her go.

"Oh, right," he said. "She, uh...she does that now, apparently."

* * *

The Wise Ones continued their prayer. Mothra's egg began to crack as the larva within stirred. Mona and Lora were so focused on the incantation that they did not notice the arrival of the intruders.

Clarke whistled as he took in the sight of the towering pyramid and the dancing natives. He gave the pilot of the airship a nudge. "I didn't quite believe you when you described it to me, but it's beautiful! I wonder who built it."

The pilot smirked. "Couldn't be these savages. Not that it matters. Let's get to it!" He took three steps forward before he stopped with a pained "HURK!" and fell dead with a throwing knife in his belly.

Daiyo had seen the intruders and made the first move. She called out to the rest of the tribe, and the dancing stopped. Most of the tribe fled to the pyramid, but the warriors stood their ground. Daiyo's forces had the numerical advantage, but they knew they were up against superior firepower.

Mona and Lora sensed the brewing altercation and turned to watch, petrified; they could not use their powers to cause harm, so they had no way to stop Clarke and his men.

At last, Daiyo let out a mighty warcry, and her warriors charged. Clarke grinned sadistically as he opened fire.

Something impacted the ground midway between the two sides. The fiery orange heat ray stopped as it reached the object. Surprised, Clarke released the trigger and saw the beam fizzle out in midair.

Before him stood Honda. Her hair and robe were smoking from the heat, but she herself was unharmed. She had used her telekinesis to block the beam.

All present stood in stunned silence. The islanders knew immediately the source of Honda's powers, but the outsiders on both sides had no idea what to make of her. Clarke glared at her, angry that she had stopped him once but eager to try again. Then he heard her voice in his head.

 _Don't. Even. Think about it._

The Major shouted in alarm as he and his men had their guns yanked from their grasp by an invisible force and tossed aside; the strap's on Clarke's power pack were ripped as it flew off him. The soldiers glanced around and saw that nobody had touched them. They looked back at Honda and saw her fiercely glowering at them. Without waiting another moment, Clarke and his cronies turned and scampered off, scared out of their minds at the incomprehensible turn of events.

Honda looked at the natives behind her, awaiting their response with apprehension. Daiyo approached her cautiously, holding eye contact. She stopped about a meter away. Honda waited intently. Finally, Daiyo lowered herself to her knees and bowed. The rest of the tribe followed suit.

Honda looked to the top of the pyramid and saw the Wise Ones smiling in approval - both of them, including Mona.

A single tear of joy trickled down Honda's face. For months, she had feared rejection; now, she felt not only respected but accepted.

Nevertheless, her relief was short-lived. She could sense a different kind of evil drawing nigh. Honda sent out a psychic call to Godzilla, hoping he had not lost the battle yet.

* * *

Sure enough, Godzilla had finished regenerating and was on his way, but he feared he would not make it to Infant Island in time to stop Dagara from devouring Mothra's egg. He had no choice but to call on the other beasts of the Adonas for help.

* * *

As Dagara hurtled toward Infant Island, he was blindsided by two more flying monsters: Soran and the surviving Kamacuras. They clung to his wings and forced him down toward the water. Dagara broke free just before splashing down, but before he could regain any altitude, a giant pliosaur leaped from the water and smashed into him, bringing the ancient dragon crashing down into the sea.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen huge creatures seized upon him with claws, teeth, pincers, and tentacles. Dagara fired his ray, cutting a swathe through his attackers, but several still clung to him and tore at his flesh. The pliosaur chomped down on Dagara's right wing cannon, crushing it closed. The dragon howled in pain, but retaliated by taking a bite out of the pliosaur's throat. Another energy attack cleared away most of the remaining creatures; then, Dagara used his powerful rudder-like tail to propel himself forward through the water, and the last clingers lost their grip as he took off like a torpedo.

Dagara sensed Soran and Kamacuras tailing him. He was not as fast underwater as in the air, but they could not swim, so he stayed submerged and continued onward with the intent of destroying them both as soon as they reached Infant Island. Little did Dagara know that the intervention of the other monsters had successfully bought much needed time for Godzilla and the new Mothra.

* * *

The Wise Ones continued their chant as the egg cracked wider. A large piece of shell was pushed aside by a shiny sepia face with sapphire eyes. Mona and Lora cheered as the newborn Mothra emerged, but they were surprised when the opposite side of the egg burst open to reveal a second larva.

"Twins!" shouted Lora in elation. "There haven't been twins for a thousand generations!"

Mona looked to the sea. "Let us hope they won't be the last," she said gravely. "Dagara draws nigh!"

Dagara erupted from the shallow water near Infant Island. Kamacuras and Soran dove at him; the former was struck by Dagara's tail and fell into the water, getting his wings soaked and becoming unable to fly. Soran sunk his teeth into Dagara's left wing; when the ancient dragon tried to pull away, the thin membrane of his wing was shredded.

Dagara shrieked as he fell onto the craggy beach. He rose to his feet and looked over the damage; the wing was unusable, but it would heal once he absorbed the life force of Mothra's spawn and could regenerate. He looked up to see Soran making another dive toward him, but Dagara put an end to his meddling with an energy attack; when the flaming corpse was near to the ground, he struck it with his tail, causing it to land on the crippled Kamacuras, killing him, too.

Dagara turned his attention to the center of the island. He was furious that he could not simply fly over the looming mountains, nor could he fit between them. He would need to climb. Just as he was getting ready to start, he heard a commotion behind him.

Godzilla emerged from the sea and came ashore. Riding on the back of his neck was the juvenile Burtannus, clacking its beak and hissing in anticipation of a fight. By his side was a Saurobehemoth, with a Gorosaurus riding on her long neck. The creatures of the Adona Islands may have been monstrous, but they knew of Mothra's importance and obeyed Godzilla's call to defend her young.

Dagara tried to fry the interlopers, but could only spit purple sparks; his energy supply was nearly depleted. He still had one functioning cannon from which to disperse his crimson mist, but releasing it would drain more energy, leaving him vulnerable while consuming the nutriated gas. He would need to overpower his foes before absorbing them. If brute strength was his only option, then brute strength he would use.

The ancient dragon charged like a bull, aiming to ram Godzilla, but the juvenile Burtannus leaped off him and landed on Dagara's head. The little beastie emitted a massive electrical shock that momentarily paralyzed the larger monster; he then hopped out of the way as Gorosaurus advanced, balanced himself on his tail, and used his strong legs to give a kangaroo-style kick, knocking him off his feet. Before he could stand up, Saurobehemoth trudged over and planted his feet atop Dagara, weighing him down so that he could not rise.

Dagara knew he was in trouble as Godzilla began his approach, charging up his beam. Taking a chance, Dagara released his crimson gas. Saurobehemoth reared back as the flesh oozed off his legs. Dagara inhaled the gory fumes and gained enough energy to unleash a blast that tore a gaping hole through Saurobehemoth's torso. His injured wing also partially fused back together, allowing him to use both wings to give himself a boost as he leaped toward Godzilla, tackling him to the ground. Gorosaurus tried to attack from behind, but was toppled over by a gust of wind from Dagara's wings.

Burtannus hopped up and bit into Dagara's tail, clinging tightly even as he was thrashed to and fro. The larger monster paid him little mind; now that only Godzilla was left to oppose him, Dagara kept him pinned down and began releasing more gas. The mutant guardian would make a fine appetizer. Godzilla realized what was happening and called out for help.

* * *

Honda heard the call. Thinking quickly, she grabbed Clarke's atomic power pack and took off through the air.

* * *

Clarke ran faster than he ever had before. The winding path through the rocks was a blur as he raced by in blind fear. He could hear his men behind him, panting like old dogs. One of them suddenly moaned loudly in pain and went tumbling head over heals.

 _Oh, no!_ thought Clarke. _She's after us!_

He pushed himself to go even faster, despite a throbbing pain in his chest. Another man behind him collapsed. Then another. And another. Clarke dared not look behind, but he soon realized that he was the only one left. With a fearful holler, the Major leaped at a three-meter wall of rock and tried to scamper over it, but his fingers refused to grip firmly and he fell onto his back.

Clarke's brain screamed at him to get up and continue running, but every nerve and muscle in his body refused to act. He lay prone where he had fallen, his head tilted slightly back. He could see one of his soldiers a short way down the path behind him, writhing on the ground. Clarke managed to roll onto his belly so he could see right side up.

The other man was already dead, but his body still quaked and spasmed. Blood flowed freely from his nostrils and mouth, and the color was gone from his face.

It was only now that the nature of Clarke's sickness dawned on him. It had come over the rest of his troops, too, and one by one they had lost the strength to carry on.

Clarke's vision became clouded as his eyes began to bleed. He knew he was a goner, but he did not want to die slowly. He still had his bowie knife tucked in his belt. Rolling onto his side, he pulled it out and sliced his own throat.

Honda saw the bodies as she flew over the path through the rocks. She took no satisfaction in the deaths of those men, cruel and corrupt though they might have been. However, there was nothing she could do for them now and no time to mourn.

* * *

Godzilla feared death more than he ever had before. He could not send out his ray with Dagara's feet on his chest, compressing his plasma gland, and the bloody fumes had his head spinning. It would not be long before he passed out.

Just in time, Gorosaurus picked himself up and performed another kangaroo kick. Dagara was knocked sideways off of Godzilla, but he did not lose his footing; he whirled around and tore the theropod's throat out with his teeth.

In those few seconds, Honda came into view of the battle; she threw the atomic power pack and propelled it toward Godzilla with her mind. He saw it and grabbed it, crushing it in his hand. Beams of blue light peeked from between his claws as he absorbed all of the energy inside and gained a massive power boost.

Dagara turned on him but was repelled with a blast to the face. Godzilla grabbed his opponent by the wings and lifted him into the air, slamming him back into the ground. He then grabbed the left wing with both hands while pressing a foot against Dagara's side for leverage and, with one massive tug, pulled the wing out of its socket, cannon and all. Dagara shrieked in anguish as the digestive red gas seeped from the wound, breaking down his own raw flesh; the evil beast's own weapon had turned on him, causing him to slowly disintegrate, but it also threatened to shroud Infant Island in crimson death.

Honda turned to flee, but behind her were the two Mothra larvae, arriving right on cue. The baby caterpillars shot silken webbing from their spinnerets toward Dagara; the moist substance neutralized the red fumes in mid-air, leaving behind a shower of silvery dust.

At long last, the gas died out completely, but the toxic effects on Dagara's body had already run their course, and he was now as grey and stiff as the stone gargoyles of his ancient prison. Godzilla struck the dried corpse with his tail, whereupon it cracked into pieces and crumbled upon itself. Only pale ash remained. Dagara was gone forever.


	8. Let it Be

Honda stood in the chamber at the top of the pyramid. Above her head were the twin Mothras, watching over the tribe of Infant Island. Before her stood the Wise Ones in humanoid form. Mona grinned gleefully at her, while Mona wore the subtle but satisfying smile of one hard to impress having been impressed.

"Thank you, Doctor Honda," said Mona. "Because of you and Godzilla, Dagara is no more and our home is safe. We wish to give you a token of our gratitude on behalf of all our tribe."

Honda was humbled. "Oh! I was just doing what I knew was right."

Lora shook her head. "The right choice is seldom the easy choice. You put your life on the line for us when you had a perfect opportunity to escape. We have something to offer you in return."

From the platform rose the golden token engraved with Mothra's cross that had once formed Dagara's seal. A warm glow emanated from the token as a looped cord formed around it, fashioning a pendant.

"Take this," said Lora. "Your powers are still developing, but this will help you focus. Someday you might be as powerful as the greatest in Nirai Kanai."

"But I thought their ways were forbidden!"

"They were," said Mona. "You have proven yourself, and thus we grant you the use of our power."

Honda took the pendant and hung it around her neck. "Thank you. Thank you both."

Lora curtsied. "We would also like you to name our new guardians."

"The children of Mothra?"

"Yes," said Mona. "Each new generation of Mothra is born from the energy of the Earth itself. Over the eons, there have been male and female Mothra, and each has a name of its own: Mothra Leo, Mothra Raziel, and the precursor of these two, Mothra Guanyin. Now we have twins, one male and one female. Their combined power may be just what we need to purge the atomic pestilence from these islands instead of merely holding it at bay. They are alive because of you, and because of you, these islands shall live on. Therefore, we grant you the honor of naming them."

Honda thought back to her parents and their religious beliefs. She could remember one important figure from each of their respective faiths: the goddess Amekushin-otome-ōankami of the Ryukyuan faith and the god Takehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto of the Shinto faith.

"How about...Ame and Take?"

Lora's smile widened until her face looked as though it might break. "Mothra Ame and Mothra Take. So be it. May their legacy and yours be of greatness and prosperity!"

Honda bowed reverently. "And what of your legacy, Wise Ones? Shall I bring word of your civilization to the outside world?"

"Not yet," said Mona. "We wish to one day rekindle our bond with humankind, but it must be at out time, on our terms. We know that humans have potential, and we believe that when they are ready to fulfill that potential, you will lead them to us once again."

The Wise Ones kneeled and spoke in unison. "Go now, our brave and kind friend. Sew the seeds of goodness among humanity."

Honda returned to the bottom of the pyramid, where her friends waited patiently, surrounded by the grateful members of the Infant Island tribe. Yuma held in his hands a pottery jar containing a small amount of water and the blue mold of the islands, the cure for radiation sickness, which he was to take back to Hiroshima. Amirpour stood behind Rex, who kneeled with his arms tied behind his back; he had been given the mold in time to save his life, but he looked worse for wear. Yamada's fingers twitched; he craved to write, but his little journal was gone. Ito had taken on the full attire of a native, with a white handprint on his forehead marking him as an initiate.

"Mister Ito!" said Honda. "Why are you dressed like that?"

The aging helmsman smiled. "Well, I don't have much of a home to go back to. That's why I was the only one who agreed to go on this expedition. Daiyo offered me membership in the tribe, and I accepted, so here I will stay."

Honda embraced him fondly. "We all wish you the best."

Yamada sighed, continuing to twitch his fingers. "I came all the way here for a story, but what the hell am I going to write?"

"The truth," said Honda. "Maybe not everything, but as much as the outside world needs to know: that there are people on these islands, they are happy and healthy, and they wish to be left alone." She glared at Rex. "And that this man and his comrades sought to destroy them for their own gain."

Rex scoffed. "So am I to be your prisoner? You want the world government to pry information out of me?"

"Something like that, yes!"

"They'll never get a word out of me!"

Amirpour pulled Rex's head back by his hair. "We'll see about that, grunt."

Honda looked the mysterious Arab woman in the eyes. "I still find it hard to believe that you were a secret agent all this time. Is Amirpour even your real name?"

The spy replied with a cheeky wink, "What kind of secret agent would I be if I told everyone my real name?"

Honda shrugged. "Doctor Amirpour it is, then. Now, I think we should get into the jet and take our leave of this place."

Yuma looked confused. "Do any of us even know how to fly that thing?"

Honda laughed. "I do now!" She pointed in the direction of the beach where the _Helios_ sat stationary. A few seconds later, it came flying between the mountains toward them, staying perfectly level and balanced until she lowered it gracefully to the ground.

Rex shook his head in disbelief. "Any chance you could teach me that sometime?" he quipped glumly.

The departing expedition members waved goodbye to their new friends and entered the plane. Honda sat in the pilot's seat and used her mind to guide the _Helios_ back to the beach.

Godzilla sat on the beach and held the baby Burtannus in his arms, proud of his help in the battle with Dagara. As the aircraft drew nigh, he placed the little one on the ground. _Goodbye, child_ , he said. _Grow strong, and one day you, too, can be a defender of the Earth._

The outsiders and the King of the Monsters set their course for Japan, leaving behind the Adona Islands and their people, free to enjoy peace and plenty once again.

At least, for the time being…

* * *

News of the _Orion_ party's unusual return spread quickly. The world soon knew of the people thriving on Infant Island, and while there were inevitably those who wished to go back to the islands to study them, the UN ultimately honored their request to let them be.

Rex reluctantly confessed that his team was acting contrary to government orders in the name of profit, but would not identify the individual or group that made the offer. The story was corroborated by a secret agent, her identity unknown to the rest of the world, who was inserted into the expedition by a secret committee who had been alerted to suspicious activity from Major Nelson Clarke. Facing charges of treason, Rex was extradited to the United States for trial. However, his plane went missing mid-flight, much like the plane transporting Mister Arkoff to Russia the previous year.

Honda returned to the Iwato Base with Godzilla to resume her work for Project G with a new sense of purpose. She did not reveal her new powers to General Omori, but stated that she had found her peace and felt better than ever.

Yuma was relieved to find Keiko still living when he returned. Rather than expose her to the Adona mold without proper testing, he took advantage of the facilities at the Hiroshima Defense Science Center to study it and ensure it was treatment-ready. Little did he know that the Seekers of Seatopia had far from given up on acquiring him and his resources…


End file.
